Northeast Ohio: Regionalism News & Discussion

[tcj1985]

my bad...........i didn't recall reading this elsewhere (the article was posted on the 19th by the LMJ).............sorry!!!

[punch]

This article could have gone in one of several threads (powers that be, please move as you see fit.)  Nothing really new, except the word is spreading about Cleveland +

The first half of the article is about Flint, the second half is Cleveland/NEO

Back from the dead
Oct 25th 2007 | CLEVELAND AND FLINT
From The Economist print edition

Glimmers of hope in two of America's industrial cities


FLINT, Buffalo, Dayton, Saginaw—for years these names have read like tombstones in the graveyard of America's rustbelt. But something is changing in Flint, Michigan, the symbol of industrial gloom. Like other rustbelt cities, Flint's population rose on the back of manufacturing (Flint was the birthplace of General Motors). Then came the white exodus to the suburbs and deindustrialisation, with Flint's ruin made famous in a film by Michael Moore. Flint's population is now just more than half what it was in 1960. One-third of its residents are officially poor.

But there are glints of progress, and not just because GM is building a new factory. Construction workers are beginning to transform the downtown area. There is a heated contest for mayor: Dayne Walling, a Flint-born Rhodes scholar brimming with good ideas, is challenging Don Williamson, the incumbent, in November's election. Flint is trying to chart its own course. And it is not alone. A faint spirit of change is wafting through some of the rustbelt's grimmest streets.

Scholars at the Brookings Institution, a Washington, DC, think-tank, argue that America's old industrial cities can indeed rise again. Big cities such as New York and Chicago have experienced a rebirth, thanks in part to fine mayors and a surge of immigration and new business in the 1990s. Most rustbelt cities have had a more modest revival or none at all. But urban optimists insist that the renaissance can spread: cities are the natural centres of the new knowledge economy and will only grow more appealing to young people and ageing baby-boomers, who want amenities near their homes.

Still, there is much work to be done. Key to any revival are basic improvements: a city must be safe, its rubbish collected, its schools adequate. How to make a city viable in the long term is an unresolved question. But a few places are trying to provide answers.

An early task is to address the physical problems. Some 16m people live in America's old industrial cities; they will not stay if their downtowns look abandoned. In Flint a shrinking population and high foreclosure rates (not a new trend in this town) mean you can hardly go a block without seeing a decrepit house. Blighted buildings are like cancerous cells: they spread crime and lower nearby property values, gnawing away at Flint's shrunken tax base. Many cities share this problem. In Youngstown, Ohio, the mayor plans to tear down blighted areas so he can save threatened but still viable neighbourhoods.

A small band in Flint is following a less radical but still imaginative strategy. Dan Kildee, the county treasurer, founded a land bank in 2002 that acquires abandoned buildings through foreclosure, then readies them to be sold and returned to the tax rolls. The bank, which won Harvard's innovation award in September, claims to have increased property values by more than $112m so far.

Also in Flint are LISC, part of a national non-profit group that channels grants and loans toward community work, and Uptown Developments, which is using so-called “baklava financing”—layers of private investment, loans, grants, federal and state tax credits—to build residential lofts as well as retail and office space downtown. Together, these groups are trying to make Flint liveable, a city that might lure a start-up or retain its students after graduation. Mr Williamson has helped by repaving hundreds of miles of roads. Mr Walling, if elected, plans to harness this work under a broader plan for downtown, its surrounding neighbourhoods, three local colleges and medical centres.

The physical task is serious enough. Addressing the rustbelt's structural economic problems is a much thornier question. Cleveland is slowly experiencing the physical renaissance sought in Flint, with new museums, a university building designed by Frank Gehry, a plan to reclaim the lakefront and another to improve transport between downtown and a hub of universities and hospitals. But to tackle its larger economic woes, the city is tying its fate to the rest of north-east Ohio.

Making use of the hinterland
A more regional approach can benefit not only inner cities, but their surroundings as well. For decades cities and suburbs have competed for jobs, residents and state and federal aid to ill effect. To change this, the Fund for Economic Future, an alliance of foundations in north-east Ohio, worked with civic and business leaders from 16 counties to launch a regional scheme in March. The plan includes supporting companies that build on local strengths, such as Cleveland's universities and medical centres (the Cleveland Clinic is America's leading hospital for cardiac care), and improving workforce training for high-tech manufacturing, health care and other understaffed sectors.

The Fund is also exploring ways for the region's various governments (754 in all) to share revenue and rationalise services. Tax-sharing schemes have helped other struggling cities, including Dayton, Ohio and Rochester, New York. Cleveland and some surrounding towns have already agreed to split taxes from businesses that move within the area; in exchange, Cleveland is providing water services.

These schemes to revive Flint, Cleveland and cities like them are making progress, but it is slow and uneven. Improvements in Cleveland in the 1990s were then threatened by recession, and the subprime crisis has not helped. Jennifer Vey of Brookings argues that local efforts could be bolstered by state support, which has been meagre. She points to Pennsylvania as a state with a strong urban agenda—Pennsylvania has the advantage of a governor, Ed Rendell, who was mayor of Philadelphia.

Even the most avid urban optimist does not expect these cities, having declined for decades, to recover overnight. Flint's home prices dropped by a startling 21% so far this year. On a recent afternoon in Cleveland, a “Believe in Cleveland” banner was matched by a nearby beggar with a sign that just read “Hungry”. But there are hints of progress where there was none. William McMickens, a cab driver and son of a factory worker in Cleveland, pointed to construction along Euclid Avenue: “When this is done, the whole city is going to change.” In these cities, long left for dead, a hard hat is a sign of hope.

[musky]

Forgot to post this.

From the Greater Cleveland Partnership:

Economic Development Collaboration Funds Research of Fragmented Government in Northeast Ohio

Cleveland - September 26, 2007 - The Fund for Our Economic Future voted today to assist in paying for a research project that will assess the costs and benefits of Northeast Ohio's fragmented governance structure.

The Fund, which unites philanthropy to support regional economic development, will contribute as much as $100,000 to the study, which will measure the costs of government to the typical citizen of Northeast Ohio compared to analogous regions with fewer governments per capita or more substantive forms of government collaboration.

"This study is a proactive effort to bring facts to a sometimes emotional debate. With no preconceived notions, we hope to learn the costs and benefits of having many local governments," said Brad Whitehead, president of the Fund. "We hope the study's findings will provide the region with guidance on how best to proceed to maximize government efficiency and effectiveness in Northeast Ohio."

Increasing government efficiency is one of the four focus areas of the region's economic action plan, Advance Northeast Ohio. The Fund is working with partners in the public and private sectors to implement the plan.

The fragmented government study is expected to cost $175,000, with additional funds being used for communication and citizen engagement. Other funders of the study include the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, and the Samuel H. and Maria Miller Foundation. Pending funders include the George Gund Foundation.

The Fund and its partners in the study intend to retain the Center for Governmental Research, Inc. (CGR) of Rochester, NY, which has conducted several similar studies in other regions. CGR will research the costs of government in the four Metropolitan Statistical Areas in Northeast Ohio: Akron, Canton, Cleveland and Youngstown. The findings will be compared with costs of government in communities outside of Northeast Ohio.

"Taking an objective look at the structure and cost of local governments in the region will provide a fact-based starting point for identifying opportunities to improve how local government services are provided in Northeast Ohio," said Charles Zettek Jr., CGR's director of local government management services.

The research is the second recent study the Fund has supported regarding local governments. The first, led by the Northeast Ohio Mayors and City Managers Association, is exploring regional revenue sharing and shared land use practices.

"We are very encouraged by the support the revenue sharing study has received among public officials and look forward to the outcomes of both studies, as they look at two very important but separate issues facing the region's local governments," Whitehead said.

[E Rocc]

From the Bedford Times Register

November 1, 2007
by Emily Canning-Dean
Reporter
If Walton Hills decides to accept fire service from Bedford and Maple Heights, the two cities are prepared.

At a special meeting Oct. 29, Bedford Council approved legislation to enter into a fire and rescue service agreement with Maple Heights.

Maple Heights Council approved the same legislation Oct. 17.

The first part of the legislation finalized the details of the two cities
splitting the responsibilities of fire and rescue service for Walton Hills in case the village decides to make the two cities its fire service provider.

Bedford Fire Chief Dave Nagy said Maple Heights would first be reimbursed by the village for dispatch
and fire inspector service. After that is paid, the cities would be paid equally for service.

Officials from Oakwood, which along with Maple Heights has provided
Walton Hills with fire service for the last decade, also submitted a proposal to Walton Hills.

But even if Walton Hills decides against Bedford and Maple Heights for fire service, the new agreement means the two communities will join forces in other ways.

Under the agreement the two communities
will not be permitted to enter into fire or EMS agreements with any other communities without the agreement of the other party. The two cities also will share fire dispatch
responsibilities.

And Nagy said that, for example, Maple Heights might be the first to respond to a fire that is in Bedford, but near the Maple Heights line.

"This might sound clich, but with a fire, seconds count," Nagy said. "In the past, Maple Heights would always come if we requested them, but now they would be automatically dispatched to a fire like that."

Maple Heights Fire Chief James Castelucci said, "We are entering into this agreement to improve the quality of service we provide our communities."

Under the agreement, Castelucci said the two communities also would look at purchasing equipment together
or sharing existing equipment.

[cd-cleveland]

I was scanning the voting results and saw that Middleburg Heights and Brook Park voters approved a tri-city recreation district with Berea.  The vote of Berea City Council, I guess, meant that the decision wasn't put on the ballot there. 

It's encouraging to see some of NEO's residents acknowledging the cost savings in combining services.

[8ShadesofGray]

^ Berea approved the ballot measure in a previous ballot issue, I believe. Now all three partners have a voter mandate to roll.

[musky]

pd:

Chris Warren urges regionalism to stem decline
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Joe Guillen
Plain Dealer Reporter

Northeast Ohio must further embrace regionalism to escape its economic doldrums, and there are many dangling opportunities on which to capitalize, said Cleveland's chief of regional development in a speech at the City Club on Tuesday.

The speaker, Chris Warren, identified specific goals, such as hammering out a regional revenue-sharing program by the end of next year, and laid out broad plans to unify the region.

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

[oengus1963]

.

[Vulpster03]

There was some kind of editorial in Crain's about regionalism. Could someone post it?

[KJP]

BTW, the dolts at Cleveland.com are already hating this, saying Cleveland's financial problems will spread to other suburbs. First, Cleveland doesn't have a monopoly on budgetary constraints in Northeast Ohio. In fact, their situation is better than many suburbs. And, if anything, this regional governance proposal will help reduce the outward spread of financial, safety, economic and social problems farther and farther out from Cleveland's core.

[KJP]

Hello?? Is this thing on?? I'm so disappointed in you people. This regional compact has to be one of the most important developments affecting Northeast Ohio in decades and not a single comment, either praise or critique.

Why?

[Evergrey]

KJP:  Do you think that 16 counties is perhaps over-reaching?  I am a huge proponent of regionalism... but I fear that this may be too broad in geographic scope.  Perhaps a 7 county Cleveland/Akron tax base / land use district would be more appropriate.  I fear that far-flung rural areas could have too much power.

[X]

I'll get excited about it when I see something specific come out of it.  The details is where this sort of thing will break down.

[E Rocc]

BTW, the dolts at Cleveland.com are already hating this, saying Cleveland's financial problems will spread to other suburbs. First, Cleveland doesn't have a monopoly on budgetary constraints in Northeast Ohio. In fact, their situation is better than many suburbs. And, if anything, this regional governance proposal will help reduce the outward spread of financial, safety, economic and social problems farther and farther out from Cleveland's core.

Certainly there are suburbs with worse problems than Cleveland....but I suspect they are all inner ring.  Absorbing those problems is indeed a real concern, and the naysayers have a point:  the people that elected the leaders who brought about those problems would likely have more votes than those currently in better run towns.

There's really nothing to discuss here except a proposal without specifics and the size, which seems too big.  It seems that so farregionalism works best when it remains small.  The various deals between the suburbs in the old Bedford Township come to mind.   

[MayDay]

Hello?? Is this thing on?? I'm so disappointed in you people. This regional compact has to be one of the most important developments affecting Northeast Ohio in decades and not a single comment, either praise or critique.

Why?

Just like when I post a thread of what I think are some kick-@ss photos and it sinks to the bottom, I just figure people looked at it; said "cool"; and moved on. 

[Oldmanladyluck]

This news is indeed huge.  I guess the professors at Levin weren't allowed to speak on it... but I would assume that Dr. Keating would have been an advisor, among the many other individuals there who are schooled in urban studies.  We'll know more in May, but I'm definitely excited that the advisers were looking at the Minneapolis-St. Paul model, which is a region that is both doing well and is viewed as progressive.  GREAT NEWS!!!

[3231]

Absorbing those problems is indeed a real concern, and the naysayers have a point:  the people that elected the leaders who brought about those problems would likely have more votes than those currently in better run towns.

You are greatly oversimplifying the source of the problems. The economic problems of some cities are results of decades of bad decisions, market changes, unions, etc. To imply that the last mayor of city X is responsible for its problems is a very weak argument. I think that you are trying to manipulate the facts so that regionalism looks like a poor strategy.

[tcj1985]

KJP:  Do you think that 16 counties is perhaps over-reaching?  I am a huge proponent of regionalism... but I fear that this may be too broad in geographic scope.  Perhaps a 7 county Cleveland/Akron tax base / land use district would be more appropriate.  I fear that far-flung rural areas could have too much power.

Any idea as to which 16 counties will be included?  Will it include the Youngstown, Sandusky, or Mansfield areas?

[blinker12]

This really is fantastic. It may be "just more talking" at the moment, but at least it's the right people talking. I am particularly excited to hear they are talking about more than just tax-sharing, but also *land-use planning*, which has been completely absent in this region to date (at least since the advent of the automobile).
And no, I don't think it's overreaching to include all 16 counties. There are historic and economic ties that link us to Akron, Canton, Youngstown, etc.

[E Rocc]

Absorbing those problems is indeed a real concern, and the naysayers have a point:  the people that elected the leaders who brought about those problems would likely have more votes than those currently in better run towns.

You are greatly oversimplifying the source of the problems. The economic problems of some cities are results of decades of bad decisions, market changes, unions, etc. To imply that the last mayor of city X is responsible for its problems is a very weak argument. I think that you are trying to manipulate the facts so that regionalism looks like a poor strategy.

"The people who elected the leaders" covers several generations of more than just mayors.  But when the governing philosophy has been consistent, then it's understandable that those who do not share said philosophies would be unenthusiastic about being governed by those who do.

If regionalism takes hold, it will start with associations of similar suburbs, such as the First Suburbs Coalition (sic?), etc.

[blinker12]

This hasn't been posted yet? I'm surprised.

Local leaders look to future as partners
Friday, May 16, 2008
Jim Nichols
Plain Dealer Reporter
Independence - Local-government leaders in unprecedented numbers came together Thursday to endorse plans to share their local tax dollars and surrender some autonomy for the region's greater good.

The leaders - from aging major cities, suburban boomtowns and rural hamlets across 16 counties - endorsed radical "regionalism" plans emerging from the Northeast Ohio Mayors and City Managers Association.

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

[cd-cleveland]

There's another article in the Sun News about how Parma, Parma Heights, Brooklyn, Olmstead Falls,  Middleburg Heights, and Berea (I think) are not moving forward with the consolidation of fire services.  If someone (hint hint) can post a more complete version that isn't so jacked up, it would be well appreciated.
---

Fire district idea cools here
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Brooklyn Sun Journal

By Joe Noga jnoga@sunnews.com

BROOKLYN - Elected officials here say they are skeptical of plans for a regional fire district after proponents of the project were unable to provide specific information about the proposal.

[buckeye1]

Post edited 9-5-09 to comply with terms of use.

[jpop]

(From the Canton Repository:)

Mayors OK tax-sharing strategy

Friday, May 16, 2008
BY ED BALINT
REPOSITORY STAFF WRITER

INDEPENDENCE A group of Northeast Ohio mayors voted overwhelmingly Thursday to move forward with a plan that would dramatically change the way the region approaches economic development.

Initiated by the Northeast Ohio Mayors & City Managers Association, the effort promotes the sharing of new tax revenue on economic development throughout the region and better land-use planning. Creating jobs, growing the region's declining economy and reducing urban sprawl are among the goals of the Regional Economic Revenue Study, which includes 16 counties.

More at http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=412513

[audidave]

Akron and Summit County to get sleeker...

http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/28438709.html

Akron moves to transfer building unit

Council gets measure to merge it with Summit County agency

By Carl Chancellor
Beacon Journal staff writer

Published on Tuesday, Sep 16, 2008

Akron took the first official steps Monday to shut down its building department.  Rick Merolla, the Akron service director, presented legislation at a committee meeting before Monday night's City Council session that would allow the city to transfer its building inspection, plan review, permit issuance and code enforcement operations to Summit County.
CHOPPED

[jpop]

Economic Support Group Offers Collaboration Cash
Posted Thursday, February 19, 2009
http://www.wcpn.org/index.php/WCPN/news/25073/

A regional economic booster has unveiled a program offering money to local governments that come up with innovative ways to collaborate with each other. As ideastream's Rick Jackson reports - getting the cash is going to take some work.

Three grants totaling 300 thousand dollars will be awarded from the Fund For Our Economic Future’s “Efficient Gov Now” program, created to promote greater efficiency in government operations and city services.

To qualify for the cash, elected boards or councils must devise a specific program demonstrating an innovative new adaptation of governmental collaboration - one that could potentially be adopted by other cities, counties, or schools.

Judges from the Fund, which is supported by a coalition of area foundations, will choose finalists from among the applicants by May.

Those proposals will be presented to members of the public for a vote this summer on which actually deserve the money they could receive.

The Fund’s Chris Thompson was in Thursday’s meeting which introduced the concept to leadership groups.

He says there was a definite excitement about the proposition.

CHRIS THOMPSON:  “Elected officials are looking for ways to collaborate with each other, to change the way services are delivered - to make them more efficient. They like the fact that someone’s willing to put some money on the line; they are intrigued by the public having a say in the decision-making process.”

Kent State University’s Center for Public Administration will provide assistance to government leaders in developing their proposals. Other area schools will also participate.

Additional Information

http://www.futurefundneo.org/
http://www.kent.edu/cpapp/

[jpop]

Is ‘Consolidation’ a Dirty Word?
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Topics: Economy, Politics
Download MP3

A Cleveland Heights councilman's recent suggestion that his municipality consider merging with a neighboring burg met with raised eyebrows and some downright snarls. Lots of local leaders agree that merging municipalities is a non-starter...too many turf and jobs issues. But given the budgetary challenges facing our cities, should we re-think the unthinkable?

Additional Information
Beryl Rothschild Mayor, University Heights
Mark Rosentraub Professor, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University
Chris Thompson Director of Marketing, Communications and Civic Outreach, Fund for Our Economic Future
Mark Tumeo Cleveland Heights Councilman

[327]

Would Cleveland Heights merge with University Heights?  Seems most logical since the schools are already together.  But in many ways Shaker is a better match.  An even better match would be Cleveland itself.

[jpop]

The mayor of University Heights sounds like an old coot.

[327]

The mayor of University Heights sounds like an old coot.

Can you elaborate on that?  It's hilarious as is, but I'd like to know more.