“Do nothing about regional governance and you will get it.”
That was the disturbing message to local governments offered by North Carolina State Sen. Dan Clodfelter at the Nov. 14-15 meeting of the Alliance for Regional Stewardship in Charlotte.
His reasoning: With the emergency fiscal condition states now face, and may face for years, massive cuts will be imperative. (See recent Peirce column or coverage at stateline.org.) So — either multi-county regions organize on their own to show they can deliver services efficiently, or state governments will preempt more and more areas.
Using North Carolina as an example, Clodfelter said: “We can’t afford 100 counties anymore.” Mental health functions are already on a population basis; lack of state money will force a minimum size on school districts the state supports. Splintering administration into many small units represents “a terribly inefficient way to deliver services.”
The choice for local governments, said Clodfelter: “Not whether to surrender authority, but to whom to surrender it. They can decide to share it (using joint powers they enjoy under law). Or the state government will take it.”
In local governments’ fat years of the ‘90s, few dreamed they’d ever face such tough choices. But today’s roaring budget deficits present a radically new reality. What are the choices/options you see, in your state?
(For more discussion on states outlooks and options, see the What’s New page posting, “Newly Elected - Listen Up”.)