To the editor:
The departure of the city manager, the arrival of two new city councilors coupled with a visionary mayor gives us a unique opportunity.
We have an opportunity to look at alternative models and approaches to providing city services.
To kick start this conversation, decision makers should consider the following strategies that have improved services, efficiencies and cost savings in countless cities and counties across our nation for over 50 years!
Shared services means the consolidation of services, such as police, public works, administrative/ support functions (such as human resources, finance, information technology, and procurement) from two or more public entities into one entity (either stand alone or existing entity like the city or county).
If you want to see a success story look no further than Troutdale, which abolished its police department and contracted with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department.
Without impacting the number of officers on the street, Troutdale saved $800,000 the first year. Since our police and sheriff’s departments are only a few blocks away from each other wouldn’t this make sense?
How about consolidating planning services? How convenient for the consumer to have one place to go for all their planning needs. That’s right, have codes — city and county planning — in one convenient location.
No brainer.
Privatization is the transfer of select government functions to the private sector. Privatization is popular because it has been proven to lower costs of government, achieving higher performance and better outcomes for tax dollars spent. Private companies operate our garbage service and water treatment facility. Seems to work very well. What next? I say privatize public works.
Our public works budget grows bigger each year yet our infrastructure is crumbling.
So why not see what a private company can do? Many communities have contracted out public works, including Ontario, which is saving over $100,000 a year.
Local policy makers have an obligation to ask fundamental questions about how governments operate and whether there is a better, more cost effective way.
Because the strategies of shared services and privatization have been proven to work, city decision makers must:
• Create a county/city task force to see what services can be shared between the two.
• Ask CH2MHill how much it would cost them to run our public works department.
These two actions will not cost us tax payers a dime but have the potential of savings us thousands of dollars.
John Hutchison
The Dalles
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