https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Procurement


Intergovernmental cooperation: Doing more with less

Intergovernmental cooperation: Doing more with less

Governments work together to share costs and improve operations.
  • Written by Steve Hamill
  • 1st June 2010

Last year, three municipalities in San Diego County entered into a joint agreement for shared fire protection. The cities of El Cajon, La Mesa, and Lemon Grove, Calif., created a shared management team to coordinate fire and emergency medical services, firefighter training, fire prevention, emergency planning and community preparedness. By consolidating these essential services and sharing management functions, the cities expect to save a combined $560,000 annually.

During the current economic downturn, it is no surprise that those three California cities — as well as governments across the country — are looking to establish service partnerships, share costs and cooperate with one another to achieve improved operating results (IOR). Intergovernmental cooperation is an arrangement by which two or more government entities or agencies share or consolidate resources such as employees, equipment, buildings, revenue or other assets to achieve IOR. A familiar example is the practice of cooperative procurement to derive deeper discounts on goods and services, while at the same time reducing administrative expenses for participating agencies. But shared purchasing is just one way governments can cooperate to save time and money and achieve IOR. Let’s look at some other examples.

By cooperating to provide joint emergency dispatch services, Lincoln Park, Southgate and Wyandotte, three cities in Wayne County, Mich., are combining their 911 dispatch services under the Downriver Central Dispatch. The decision to join services was made to cut costs and to improve essential services. Savings for the communities are estimated between 5 and 10 percent per city.

To reduce costs in a similar fashion, the Union County, N.J., Board of Chosen Freeholders recently announced that they intend to move forward to establish a shared public safety dispatch system between the County and the Borough of Fanwood. This shared arrangement will result in significant savings for Fanwood — almost $230,000 over its first three years. The shared dispatch system will cover all Fanwood emergency services including police, fire and emergency medical services. Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr recently stated, “I am proud that Fanwood is serving as the pilot for this new program, which saves real dollars and shrinks local government costs without compromising services.”

More than 30 cities and other public agencies in King County, Wash., have taken advantage of interlocal agreements with the county’s road service division. From routine maintenance to highly technical engineering, the King County Road Services Division offers a variety of services to other jurisdictions within the region. Individual agencies in and around the county are able to take advantage of the county’s large inventory of equipment to reduce the expense for all participants.

School districts across the United States are also faced with shrinking budgets and staff cuts. Cooperation among school districts has been shown to reduce costs and ensure that necessary services can continue to be provided to students. Washtenaw County, Mich.’s 10 traditional school districts are currently working on a plan to combine the busing of students countywide by next fall. The Washtenaw Intermediate School District is leading the efforts and has hired two consulting firms to analyze the potential cost reductions. The goal is to generate savings for the districts ranging from 18 percent to 25 percent in their transportation budgets.

To share thoughts or other examples of great government, contact us at [email protected].

About the author

Steve Hamill is the former assistant chief administrative officer for Alameda County, Calif. He is the general manager of the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance (U.S. Communities).

Tags: Procurement

Most Recent


  • road maintenance
    Road maintenance is a good place to incorporate sustainable practices; predictive data analysis can help
    One way to achieve sustainability is to work to extend the life of an agency’s existing assets, says Matt Sprague, industry strategy director – local government at Trimble, a technology company that offers a variety of integrated infrastructure solutions. The solutions may enable improved decision-making by connecting the right information with the right administrators and […]
  • materials
    Public buyers have several options to keep problem materials out of the waste stream
    Cities and counties are taking multiple steps towards sustainability, says Curran Hughes, co-founder and president of Renegade Plastics, a fabric product manufacturer that offers an alternative to PVC (polyvinyl chloride)-coated fabrics. Its low carbon coated fabrics curtail plastic waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the company. “Local governments are doing a nice job […]
  • environmental
    Seasons change: Addressing environmental issues takes many forms
    With extreme temperatures, increasing natural disasters and seasonal changes that are no longer predictable, environmental concerns are growing across the world. As a result, government and educational institutions, through their political bodies and leadership, are now mandating and prioritizing sustainability for their communities. The measures being taken, and goals being met, take many forms to […]
  • federal grants
    Best laid plans: Here are a few steps cities and counties should take when a federal grant comes their way
    Part 1 of this report on managing federal grants and funds appeared in the June 2023 issue of Government Procurement. In recent years, Congress has approved legislation giving local governments access to new sources of federal grants and funds. The laws include: American Rescue Plan Act (APRA), Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Deltek releases 12th annual Clarity Government Contracting Report
  • Amazon Business releases first B2B ecommerce report, highlighting e-procurement
  • Public procurement can be transformative for stakeholders in a community
  • The pandemic has led to big adjustments in procurement staffing in governments

White papers


7 Resources to Level-up Your Federal Grants Administration and Compliance

5th September 2023

Elevator Phone Line Replacement Strategy | A Guide to Reliable, Code-Compliant Solutions

29th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing Report: The Bright Future of Public Procurement

23rd August 2023
view all

Webinars


Grant Preparedness: Unlocking Funding Opportunities for Your Success

10th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing: Taking Local Governments into a Bright Future

1st August 2023

Stop Playing with Fire: How to Manage Infrastructure Asset Risk So You Know You’re Covered

20th June 2023
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


10 of the leafiest city capitals in the United States

2nd October 2023

10 Safest Cities from Natural Disasters

29th September 2023

Gallery: Hottest temperatures recorded in American cities during July

12th September 2023
view all

Twitter


Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.