The study is being commissioned by the Fund for our Economic Future, which draws support from philanthropic groups to promote regional economic development. Its aim is to identify the costs and benefits of what it calls the region's fractured governance - that is, many small governments per capita, each one looking out for its own jurisdiction, rather than the more collaborative, regional approach of places like Columbus, Ohio or the Raliegh/Durham area in North Carolina. Fund Spokesman Chris Thompson says the idea of possible merges and consolidation here has met with considerable resistance.
Chris Thompson: Up until now that conversation over our governmental structure in Northeast Ohio has been a conversation based on a lot of emotion and gut reaction, and not a lot of facts. We hope this research will bring facts to the conversation.
Increasing government efficiency, possibly through increased regional consolidation, is one of the goals in an action plan that grew out of the Fund's Voices and Choices community engagement project. The study is expected to be completed in about 8 months.
Bill Rice, 90.3.