NORWICH – A report looking at shared municipal services and government consolidation in the City of Norwich, Town of Norwich and the Town of North Norwich will be made public Wednesday, state officials confirmed last week.
The findings are being released as part of a larger study compiled by the state Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, which has spent the last year developing recommendations aimed at reducing the layers of local government.
The Center for Governmental Research, a private consulting firm based in Albany and Rochester, put together the Norwich data for the commission.
Lessening the tax burden, as well as making government less complex and more efficient, are the main goals of the overall project, commission officials say.
The study is also expected to outline needed changes at the state level, such as altering state laws and increasing monetary incentives to make consolidation efforts easier for communities that are interested in pairing-down, said John Clarkson, Executive Director of the Commission on Local Government.
The Evening Sun will be running a three-part series starting Wednesday breaking down the study’s findings, as well as local reactions and what will happen next.
For now, the report’s goal is to arm the public with knowledge and get people talking, said Clarkson.
“It’s about getting a discussion started locally,” he said. “It’s about giving more tools to local governments.”
For the three municipalities making up the Greater Norwich area, the report is expected to offer options for combining services and/or consolidation. The final decision will be left up to the area’s elected officials and their citizenry, said Clarkson.
“What happens in Norwich depends on local leaders and the community. The CGR report clearly lays out potential paths that local leaders can consider,” he said. “What actually occurs depends on the desires of the community and many practical concerns.”
Local leaders have been divided on the issue of shared services and consolidation.
City of Norwich Mayor Joseph Maiurano is one of the more vocal proponents of looking at ways the city, with a weakening tax base and rising costs, can share services or consolidate with the Town of Norwich.
“There’s a bigger picture than everybody’s individual municipality,” said Maiurano. “If you look at the whole picture – we’re not going to be here in the future. This is for the people who are going to be here ten, twenty, thirty years from now.”
Officials from the Town of Norwich have been opposed to consolidation talks, instead asking for a feasibility study on the creation of a Greater Norwich Fire Protection District. The town is concerned it’s being overcharged for fire protection from the city, which it currently pays over $504,000 for.
“The goal of said study should be to examine the delivery of quality fire service at the most economical rate for taxpayers,” a resolution passed by the town in November states, adding that if a fire study is conducted, the town would consider looking into other ways it could share costs with the city.
The town also does not want to be saddled with the city’s debt, which some feel would be the result of a consolidation.
“We’ve done well,” said Town Councilman Adam Evans during discussions back in October, referring to the increase in the town’s sales and property tax revenue created by a growth in retail stores like Wal-Mart and Lowe’s. “It took a lot of years to get this town right. When the city wants to come in and take a bite out of some of that, it’s frustrating.”
In January, the city and the Towns of Norwich and North Norwich agreed to take part in the CGR study at no cost. The towns had previously opted out of taking part in shared services study, which required a local share be paid.
According to the commission’s Web site, Wednesday’s final report will include recommendations on county and regional services, modern municipal structures, voter participation and information, mandates and other local cost drivers, and school district efficiency issues.
Former Governor Eliot Spitzer handed down the list of nearly 150 statewide consolidation initiatives in September. They ranged from merging and dissolving governments to sharing services like fire, highway, water and sewer.
The list was compiled by the commission based on ideas the Governor requested from local governments in April 2007.
Both the Cortland and Oneonta areas were also asked to explore combining their towns and cities.