News & Events

WORKSHOP TEACHES CITIES TO COLLABORATE

Local leaders learn best practices of collaborative police service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 15, 2006

CONTACT: CONAN SMITH
734-891-2241
conan@suburbsalliance.org

FERNDALE – Local government officials, police chiefs, finance officers and others came together today to learn about initiating and maintaining police service partnerships at a workshop held by the Michigan Suburbs Alliance. 

“Collaboration is about both efficiency and effectiveness,” said Conan Smith, Executive Director of the Suburbs Alliance.  “Communities that work together can often get the job done cheaper and better than they can working alone.”

Through presentations and interactive discussions, the workshop addressed the internal and external preparations, financial considerations, and marketing tactics associated with collaborative police service delivery. 

Workshop participants received the Suburbs Alliance’s Police Service Collaboration How-To Manual which highlights best practices, tips and other resources for engaging in collaborative public safety partnerships.  It is compiled from university research and case studies from Michigan and around the country.

The workshop was the second in the Suburbs Alliance’s Creating Collaborative Communities Workshop Series, a program aimed at equipping city leaders and others involved in public service with the skills to establish efficient and reliable resource sharing partnerships.  An additional workshop on public works will take place in the fall.

The series comes at a time when cities across the state – older suburbs in particular – are struggling financially.  Together, Michigan’s municipal finance policies and recent cuts in revenue sharing are shrinking tax revenue in mature suburbs.  Drastic rises in insurance and pensions costs have increased the stress on city budgets. Cities are being forced to reduce and sometimes eliminate even core services like fire and police protection.  Working cooperatively and consolidating services with other municipalities enables local governments to maximize limited resources and maintain city services. 

“We talk about the ‘Continuum of Collaboration,” Smith said, “and that means working up the ladder from easy cooperation to more complex interactions.  Providing municipal services together is the first step on the road to regionalism.”

The Michigan Suburbs Alliance is a coalition of older suburbs that works to increase regional cooperation, stimulate redevelopment, and reform public policy.  For more information about the Suburbs Alliance or the Creating Collaborative Communities program, visit http://www.michigansuburbsalliance.org.

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