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New $45M State Fund To Reward Local Government Collaboration
New $45M State Fund To Reward Local Government Collaboration
services. He said he has found 91 different kinds of collaboration in the state. Mr. Cole cited Hamilton County, where county government has turned over administration of its email system to the Hamilton County Educational Services Center, a county school district. They could provide it better and cheaper, so (the county) is getting out it, he said. But, Mr. Cole said, more must be done. Yes, you're doing shared services, he said he told one government official recently. You're doing A, we're doing B and they're doing C. We're just not doing A, B, C and D together. Now, Mr. Cole said, It's time to connect the dots. Ahead of the curve Northeast Ohio communities have gotten off to a faster start than other areas of the state when it comes to collaborative efforts. The foundation-financed EfficientGovNetwork has used modest financial awards to get communities thinking about collaborative efforts. From that program, communities shared information technology, formed joint economic development districts and, in the case of school districts in Orrville and Rittman in Wayne County, shared top administrators. In the latter example, the program gave the district $70,000 for new equipment, including a networked file server they could share. The new state fund has similar goals, as do some of the communities that had attendees at the Corporate College session. Kenneth Perry, economic development director of Brooklyn Heights, said his mayor, Mike Procuk, will be participating in a meeting in Seven Hills next month with Mayor Richard Dell'Aquila and mayors from other nearby cities to plot a collaboration strategy. Mr. Perry said he expects centralized police and fire dispatching will be high on the list of subjects discussed. Likewise, Richmond Heights councilwoman Meisha Headen said she hopes her community will team up with a neighboring city to look at the idea of sharing police and fire chiefs. A charter amendment on last November's ballot unsuccessfully sought to allow the city to enter into joint service agreements. Ms. Headen said she hopes a state grant will help the city succeed the next time. Making the grade The state fund is open to all government entities in Ohio. Part of the money $9 million will be available for grants that can be used to examine the feasibility of an idea. No-interest loans will be available for expenditures to implement the ideas. Applications for the first round of money are due March 1, but the cash will not be available until July 1, the start of the state's fiscal 2013. A second application round is scheduled for fall. In a memo to his mayor, Brooklyn Heights' Mr. Perry summed up the requirements for a successful application: We were also told that they will not be just issuing money for grants and loans but only where there is a "demonstrable return on investment' for the "partnering communities and the state of Ohio.' They are going to be grading all of the funding submissions and the ones receiving the highest scores will be given priority, Mr. Perry wrote in the memo. We wouldn't want it any other way, correct?