Citizens Civic Renewal

I would also recommend reading an excerpt out of the 2008 Planning Partnership Summer 2008 newsletter put out by the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission by Senator Robert Schuler. The article is on page 4. http://www.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/hcrpc/control/upload/database_download.asp?FileID=140

... and a link to an editorial posted the same day: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080804/EDIT01/808040316/

Completely agree. I believe this would become highly successful if all jurisdictions would participate. I really like the guiding principles behind GCEP and I believe it is already saving money and improving efficiency locally. Guiding Principles - Highly functional services should not be degraded through service consolidation simply for the purpose of providing lower cost services. - Services should not be combined to the detriment of local control or home rule just to make life easier for individual organizations or special interests. - Service mergers should not form mega-departments for the benefit of the administrator (i.e., salary, power); service mergers should be primarily for the benefit of participating communities and their residents.

Yes - here is a link to the site that you can browse through to get much more in-depth information: http://www.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/hcrpc/partner/gcep/

What is everybody's thoughts on the GCEP (Government Cooperation and Efficiency Project) that began last year? A list of projects and an explanation can be found at http://www.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/hcrpc/partner/gcep/pdf/sharedServicesProjects.pdf I think this is a step in the right direction in dealing with local jurisdictional collaboration. Savings of $1.5 million is substantial and can be used for many other needed things. As merger options arise, such as the Mariemont/Little Miami Joint Fire & Rescue District, these jurisdictions can find proof that money is being saved, and things such as level of service (and others) are not compromised, but as good as, if not better, than before.

No we are not.

I agree with Uncle Rando - one way to keep the fire departments unique is different forms of branding (i.e. village logos, etc.) - and still combining into regional fire departments. The redundancy of having two fire departments within four blocks of each other when all feasibility studies show that they could improve efficiency (and save money!) by collaborating is unnecessary. This is just one example of how/why local governments can become more efficient.

we are interested in having an open discussion and participation regarding local gov't efficiency - this is a great topic that local jurisdictions should be thinking about

Citizens for Civic Renewal is a Cincinnati based non-profit organization. Quick history - CCR was founded on the belief that an informed and active citizenry is the key component of a healthy democracy. From its inception, CCR was designed to be an organization to amplify the voice of the people on vital community issues. In 1994, about 600 people met at the Seasongood Forum on Diversity and Governance and developed a recommendation “to form an alliance for civic renewal.” After consulting with the National Civic League, a group of citizen activists drafted regulations and announced the creation of CCR. Since the actual press release announcing the birth of CCR in fall of 1996, CCR has been heavily involved with every aspect of the community. In the fall of 1997, CCR endorsed Issue 6, allowing the City Manager to hire police & fire chiefs, rather than civil service procedures. By the spring of 1998, CCR was supporting the decision by the I-71 Oversight Committee and OKI to move ahead on light rail. Also in that same year, CCR published the top-10 CCR priorities for Regional Capital Projects, in response to a business priority list issued in April 1997. By April of 1999, CCR had 200 plus members. In the fall of 2002, these members supported Issue 2, a bond issue for CPS building program; Issue 7, sales tax for SORTA; Issue 6, sales tax for Butler County Regional Transit Authority; and opposed Issue 8, partial repeal of Fair Elections Amendment. Co-Sponsorship Actions: Over the years, CCR’s members have been involved with various co-sponsored activities and events. CCR has as seat on the Board of OKI’s Regional Council of Governments, and were invited to be on the Board of the Metropolitan Growth Alliance. In the fall of 2000, CCR facilitated Cincinnati Metropatterns (the Myron Orfield study) with grant money from the Regional Initiatives Fund of the GCF. In September 2001, the Cincinnati Metropatterns report was issued. Please visit http://www.citizenscivicrenewal.org/ for some more information. Thanks for the welcoming remarks.

Improved local government efficiency is a recurring topic throughout the United States. These improvements can be looked upon at many levels. One level that makes perfect sense here in Hamilton County is the fire service delivery system. There is an extremely large amount of redundancy in the fire service delivery system in Hamilton County. Fire service is a great opportunity for improved efficiency. In a recent study, Management Partners, a local professional consulting firm that provides a variety of services to governmental organizations throughout North America, found that “while catastrophic and specialized emergency operations are well planned at the County and regional level, day-to-day operations of each fire department have evolved independently of each other over that past decades as our cities, villages and townships have grown, without any overall consideration.” Look at this comparison table of fire service in Hamilton County, Ohio and Fairfax County, Virginia: Population Served Square Miles Number of Stations Hamilton Co., Ohio 822,596 407 100 Fairfax Co., Virginia 1,077,000 395 37 It is possible to protect the public with fewer fire stations and equipment. Improved efficiency can happen. Some jurisdictions are already combining fire departments in Hamilton County to eliminate this redundancy. Currently there are four, including Loveland-Symmes, Madeira-Indian Hill, Deer Park-Silverton, and the Little Miami Joint Fire and Rescue District. Not only would this improve the efficiency, but it can lead to potential cost savings as well. Here is a map illustrating Hamilton County’s overlapping fire service: Page 39 of this document: http://www.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/hcrpc/partner/gcep/pdf/PROJECT_REPORT_GCEP_Phase_1_071214.pdf What are your thoughts on the topic?