NORWICH – Last week, the City of Norwich mayor gave Chenango County officials something to think about when preparing budgets for 2013: new ways to share government services.
Mayor Joseph P. Maiurano, speaking before the Chenango County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 13, said he had penned many letters to local lawmakers and to the state’s regional representatives on the subject of consolidation during his six years in office. He asked the board “to take a bigger look this year ... at how we can deliver quality services at a better cost.”
Maiurano referenced an approaching March 21st deadline to apply for grant assistance from New York State for government projects that save property taxpayers money and shrink the size of government.
Over the past six years, the New York Department of State has provided more than $50 million in funding to 324 projects, which generated a projected cost savings to municipalities of $560 million, according to an announcement that kicked off the application round for 2012.
“We might not make this year’s grant round application, but we could start next year’s,” he said.
The mayor introduced a community development planner from the Albany-based Laberge Group, Benjamin H. Syden, who then delivered a brief presentation to the board. Syden said Governor Cuomo is “putting a full court press on shared services and consolidations.”
“I’m here to help you start the process,” he said, “of finding the area or areas that may be best served in a better way, more efficiently and at a lower cost.”
Laberge spearheaded shared services projects in Chemung County between the county and the city of Elmira. The project involves the city and the county sharing a commissioner, the invited consultant said, and streamlines 50 public works jobs and 75 pieces of highway equipment. Chemung County also created a five-year plan for merging towns and villages into the county.
“We asked them if they could do a ‘government do-over’, how they would have their government look? ... You could look at sharing people, equipment, facilities and revenue... Talk about what your needs are, what is most valuable and what is politically palatable,” Syden said.
Shared services are agreements by which officials of two or more jurisdictions coordinate plans, policies and programs to address and resolve issues of mutual interest. Syden said the most cost-savings results from decentralizing public works departments. For example, automatic vehicle locators with GPS tracking and billing systems are available for snowplows and sander trucks.
The endeavor could result in some employees working only part-time in the winter months and reducing service delivery costs, he said.
City of Norwich Supervisor Robert M. Jeffrey made a motion to refer the plan to the county’s Planning and Economic Development Committee. Town of Norwich Supervisor David C. Law, chairman of Planning, asked Jeffrey what portions of consolidation and shared services that Jeffrey was most interested in pursuing.
Jeffrey said to look at it all.