Government Collaboration and Efficiency

Progress is being made in the Mahoning Valley on Rollin' on the River, the EfficientGovNow winning collaboration between Mahoning valley communities that are developing an interactive website marketing sites available for economic development in the river corridor.

The communities involved in this project, including Lowellville, Struthers, Campbell, Youngstown, Girard, McDonald, Niles, Warren, and Newton Falls hopes to enhance the corridor’s economic competitiveness through the new site, that will include information on brownfield sited available for development. The website would provide comprehensive and interactive site maps/photos and updated information on site characteristics, ownership, zoning, utilities, property taxes, permitting procedures, financial assistance tools, marketing demographics and points of contact.  In effect, it would be a one-stop shop for marketing property in the corridor communities.

On November 4, the City of Youngstown submitted a feasibility report on the Mahoning River Corridor Initiative to the Ohio Department of Development. The report identifies and profiles sixteen brownfield project sites involving over 800 acres for potential economic, recreational and/or environmental enhancement. Eleven infrastructure projects related to those sites were also identified. Eight environmental/preservation enhancement areas and twelve recreational enhancement projects were also identified.

Northeast Ohio governments are not waiting for the second round of EfficientGovNow to start in order to collaborate.

In addition to Youngstown and Girard working together on a land deal that might bring hundreds of jobs to the Mahoning Valley, WKBN reported yesterday that Mahoning County is taking steps towards consolidating its 911 emergency services.

County Commissioners, the 9-1-1 Committee, as well as fire, police and EMS personnel from throughout the county met this week to discuss the creation of a common radio communications system as a way of establishing communication with all emergency radio systems in the county. The four major services involved include Mahoning County Dispatch, Boardman Township, Austintown Township and the city of Youngstown.

"We're looking for an agreement amongst the major players to say we're going after the funds, and we're going to put together the plan, and we're going to take ownership and set up the rules of governance, the vision and the funding to go forward," said Barry Stock from Barry Stock Consulting Associates.

If an agreement is reached, the next step would be for the county to seek funds from the state and federal government for a common radio system.

It is encouraging to see the region's governments seeking collaborations and actively looking to find ways to operate more efficiently. Keep checking the EfficientGovNow blog for more stories of Northeast Ohio government collaboration, and news on the second round of EfficientGovNow.

Government collaborations continue to form throughout the Mahoning Valley. First, the Valley united to award two government collaboration projects with EfficientGovNow victories; projects that will save money by creating efficiencies and assisting economic development throughout the region. Now with their latest government collaboration, the Valley may create hundreds of new jobs.

Last week the cities of Youngstown and Girard approved a deal to annex a plot of land that straddles the Youngstown/Girard city lines. The French firm V&M Star Steel has been looking to develop the site for a $970 million, 400-job expansion of its Youngstown operations.

Instead of fighting over rights to the land, the two cities reached an agreement: the land will be annexed to Youngstown, and Girard will receive 55% of the income taxes generated at the plant. V&M insisted that their project be built on land in Youngstown. Girard Mayor James Melfi told WCPN he realizes the city is giving up a lot; but the change for his town also meant considering what is best for the region.

“We recognize the fact that this was possibly a once-in-a-lifetime situation and that we had to make it happen.” Melfi said.

V&M is still considering a location for their expansion, with a decision to be made by the end of the year. Even if V&M decides to build their plant elsewhere, the Valley will have a strong site that will be ready to accept other economic development offers.

Regardless of the final outcome, both city leaders say the bigger victory is the continued example the Mahoning Valley sets for collaboration among Northeast Ohio governments in order to advance the region as a whole.

Following last June's "Restoring Prosperity to Cleveland Mini-Summit," Greater Ohio and Policy Bridge have released their initial draft of a Cleveland Policy Platform.

This city-specific Policy Platform advances a series of state level recommendations to create a “competitive communities” strategy that places revitalization of Cleveland and other Ohio cities at the center of regional economic redevelopment strategies. Greater Ohio hopes to develop other city-specific platforms and is using the Cleveland platform as a model for other cities.

In order to make these recommendations as effective as possible, your comment and opinion is valued. This Platform divides its recommendations into four prosperity driver areas, and a fifth area, governance reform. We encourage you to take a minute to read over the recommendations in each category, and then provide your input by commenting on the site. The five categories are:

• Number of projects that should receive grants
• Types of projects deserving of support
• Whether projects must achieve a minimum level of cost savings
• Whether EfficientGovNow should encourage the use of the grant for a specific purpose

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From the EfficientGovNow blog:

There has been a lot of excitement in the Westshore Council of Governments over the past month. The EfficientGovNow award-winning fire district collaboration project continues to receive positive support from the community, including from the firefighters union.

In the video below, Deborah Sutherland, mayor of Bay Village and chairman of the Westshore Council of Governments, thanks the citizens of Northeast Ohio for their support and provides an update on the project as it begins to move forward.

Mayor Sutherland also stresses the importance of continuing regional collaboration beyond the EfficientGovNow competition. Collaborative projects such as the Westshore Fire District make government work more efficiently and effectively, which can lead to expanding economic development and creating a vibrant economic future for Northeast Ohio.