LGA Lyceum

The Innovation Clinic at GSPIA

 A new initiative of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs Local Government will examine ways in which intergovernmental cooperation can address uneven growth and a decline of some communities in the Pittsburgh region. The Innovation Clinic at GSPIA will focus on a number of areas of concern.

Most notably, “fiscal mercantilism,” or the pursuit of economic development activities that negatively impact a municipality’s neighbors will be examined. Additionally, the Clinic will focus on segregation by race and class, difficulties with land-use planning, and disparities in technical expertise for managing local government.  These topics are emerging as important throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. David Miller of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs has conducted research showing the growing gap between the wealthy and poor neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, exacerbated by the governing challenges presented by the region's fragmented governmental system.

Recognizing that "no man is an island", the innovation clinic will work on new solutions for local government, including expanding current intergovernmental cooperation and developing new forms of it.   Three "innovation areas" that could lead to reform in the region: increasing the role of county governments as regional governing bodies, transforming councils of governments (COGs) as active public service providers and decision makers within their organizations, and finally, increasing the use of special districts for the delivery of certain services.

While there have been intergovernmental cooperation successes in the region, more can be done. Dr. Miller wants to conduct research and prepare case studies in the three areas of government stated above, and analyze how they could be applied in the Pittsburgh region. The clinic will help facilitate intergovernmental cooperation efforts, and will also aid in providing technical assistance for communities in these efforts through the use of faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students.  

The work of the clinic will be supported by an interdisciplinary faculty advisory group from the University of Pittsburgh and other schools, a practitioner advisory group of elected and appointed  government officials at the state and local levels, and members of civic organizations from the region. The clinic would also partner with these civic organizations, such as the Local Government Academy and Sustainable Pittsburgh, for training and technical support for municipalities.

The Innovation Clinic emerges as a response by the University to information provided in three recent studies that mention the importance of local governments working together for service delivery. The Brookings Institution produced two reports, one entitled Committing to Prosperity: Moving Forward on the Agenda to Renew Pennsylvania, and another entitled Strengthening Rural Pennsylvania: An Integrated Approach to a Prosperous Commonwealth.

These reports talk of the “hollowing out”, or population loss, in the Pittsburgh region and PA rural counties, and makes recommendations for intergovernmental cooperation for service delivery. The Pennsylvania Economy League’s 2007 report found that communities in PA are declining in fiscal health and that tools for dealing with distress are not effective. The report also recommends regional service delivery and intergovernmental cooperation. 

For more information on the University  of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and  International Affairs, visit www.gspia.pitt.edu.

For more information on intergovernmental cooperation in the Pittsburgh region, please  visit www.igcsuccess.org.

David Miller, PhD
Associate Dean/Associate Professor
Graduate School of Public and International  Affairs University of Pittsburgh

 

York Area United Fire and Rescue: Intergovernmental Cooperation and Fire Services by Dean Fernsler

Dean Fernsler
former Local Government Policy Manager
DCED Governors Center for Local Government Services

Local governments in Pennsylvania are very independent organizations and conduct their business just as independently. Often there is little consideration of how a decision or action may affect their neighboring municipalities. However, there are those local governments who have reached out to their neighbors in an effort to ease the burden of providing services to their constituents.

The process of intergovernmental cooperation is not new to some local governments and some have decades of history working with their neighbors. It is most common in public works, purchasing, policing, and administration. However, intergovernmental cooperation is relatively rare regarding partnerships of emergency service organizations, such as volunteer fire and rescue companies. Even more rare are partnerships involving career fire departments.

That is why there is a compelling story to be told surrounding the formal established partnership of two combination fire departments in two different local governments. Springettsbury (a township of the second class) and Spring Garden (a township of the first class) Townships are located just east of the City of York, York County. Springettsbury is the larger of the two municipalities, but both have career firefighters supported and assisted by volunteers. Career firefighters are in the majority with Springettsbury having 17 positions and Spring Garden with 16 paid positions.

In 2002, the managers and a few elected officials from both townships met with a representative from DCED to inquire if assistance was available to investigate the feasibility of combining fire service operations of both municipalities. The idea was to determine if it was possible to combine similar yet different services into a single organization to serve both townships. A strategy was developed to facilitate the creation of a partnership and in December of 2002, a resolution was approved by both municipalities to proceed. 

An Emergency Services Task Force was created consisting of elected representatives of both local governments, fire services officials, and most importantly, selected citizen representatives from both municipalities. This group consisted of 13 members and was charged with creating a combined fire service organization. The Task Force soon recognized the need for some professional assistance with their evaluation and engaged a consultant to assist their effort. The study was underwritten with a DCED shared services grant and proved to be beneficial to the entire process.

Throughout the long and complicated process of debate, deliberation and decision-making, both municipal governments were openly supportive and understanding of the needs of the fire services and kept employees and members informed and engaged. The learning curve was steep for all involved, and the Task Force correctly realized that this was an educational process for everyone involved. 

The result of this effort is that today in Springettsbury and Spring Garden Townships, there exists a new emergency services organization known as the York Area United Fire and Rescue (YAUFR). This is a consolidated fire and rescue service organization with a new chief (selected from a nationwide search) and administrative staff that brings together two formerly independent and separate organizations. It required combining two labor unions, two pension plans, satisfying the volunteer component, and a new ordinance defining and creating the new entity.

The newly appointed chief began duties on February 11, 2008. There are plans being developed for a central station to house the organization to bring all assets together. The career firefighters were in favor of this effort because they saw this as an opportunity to be part of a larger, more responsive and capable organization that can have a regional application in the greater York suburban area. The volunteers were experiencing declining resources and saw this as a way to enhance fire service capabilities for the region. 

This was an ambitious, complicated and yet rewarding process for all involved. It also stands as a progressive and beneficial result for the entire region and is a model of intergovernmental cooperation. In addition to the Task Force, one of the other significant driving forces behind this success were the managers of both municipalities who orchestrated all of the detail work involved. In the words of the Springettsbury manager, it required “patience, patience, and evidence of monthly progress” to keep this effort on track.

In light of the obstacles that had to be overcome, this is an extraordinary example of intergovernmental cooperation in Pennsylvania. The elected and appointed officials, firefighters, and citizens have reason to be proud and excited about their accomplishment and can be shared and promoted as a model of what local governments can achieve with patience, persistence and commitment.

"Form Follows Function": 2005 Road to Excellence Conference Podcasts

The structure and functions of local government were the topics at the Local Government Academy’s 2005 Road to Excellence Conference entitled “Form Follows Function.” The Road to Excellence Conference is an annual conference focusing on intergovernmental cooperation in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The 2005 RTE Conference was held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on November 10, 2005, and featured Keynote Speaker Dr. H. George Fredrickson, professor of Public Administration at the University of Kansas and is co-editor of The Future of Local Government Administration. Dr. Fredrickson explained why structure is important for achieving efficient and equitable local government, and what the impact of structure is on the business climate and quality of life for citizens in a municipality.

The 2005 RTE Conference also included three panel discussions. The first panel, entitled “The Legal/Legislative Environment of Local Government and Mergers and Consolidation in PA” discussed home rule, existing boundary change and procedures, and recent municipal merger initiatives. It also reviewed the relationship between state and local governments in Pennsylvania, and broke down municipalities by type to discuss their differences relating to structure and power.

“Various Points of View and Political Perspectives on the Essential Functions of Local Government” was the topic of the second panel discussion held after lunch. This panel included an overview of public opinion and national research on citizen expectations of local government by Dr. Beverly Cigler, professor of public policy and administration at Penn State Harrisburg. Other panelists discussed the business sector’s relationship with local government, the importance of public involvement and communication between communities, and training for local governments on making informed decisions for cooperation.

The final panel, “Deliberating the future of local government” presented an overview of new models of public discourse and participation. Panelists discussed the importance of resident involvement in identifying the wants and needs of the community.

Podcasts of the 2005 Road to Excellence Conference, “Form Follows Function”, are now available! Visit www.lgapodcasts.org to listen to the 2005 RTE Conference Podcasts, the 2007 RTE Conference Podcasts, or to listen to more LGA Podcasts.