Regional Cooperation
The Workshop Series
Cities throughout our region are finding that by working together, they can deliver superior public services even on a limited budget. Through the Creating Collaborative Communities Workshop Series, local government leaders are gaining the practical tools they need to initiate successful cross-border resource sharing partnerships.
The Workshop Series consists of three half day workshops, each focused on a particular area of resource sharing. Topics include fire service, police service and public works.
Through presentations and group discussions, workshops address the internal and external preparations, financial considerations and marketing tactics associated with joint service delivery. Attendees hear from speakers who have been involved in successful partnerships and get the opportunity to discuss their own efforts during Q & A sessions.
Workshops bring together decision-makers from all sides of collaboration. Both the fire and police workshops attract city administrators, finance officers, service experts such as fire and police chiefs, researchers and county-level government officials.
- Fire Department Merger
- Round Lake Park-Hainesville Police Department
- Shared Information Network Consortium
- South Oakland Narcotics Intelligence Consortium (SONIC)
At each workshop, participants receive a Suburbs Alliance Collaboration How-To Manual geared toward the workshop topic. These How-To Manuals outline best practices, tips and other resources for cities and service departments engaging in collaborative partnerships. It is compiled from university research and case studies from Michigan and around the country.
Fire Service Collaboration How-To Manual (PDF-1.38MB)
Police Service Collaboration How-To Manual (PDF- 1.2MB)
Each workshop features speakers who have been involved in successful collaborative partnerships. The examples below were discussed in detail at past workshops. With the exception of the Round Lake Park-Hainsville Police Department consolidation, they can all be found on SEMCOG's Joint Public Services database . Visit Reports for additional resources on intergovernmental service collaboration.
| Lead Organization: | Plymouth Township |
| Main Partners: | City of Plymouth |
| Year Project Started: | 1995 |
| Type of Collaboration: |
Full Consolidation |
| Project Summary: | In 1995, the fire departments in the City of Plymouth and Plymouth Township merged into a single joint department. The intention of the merger was to provide better services at less cost or the same joint cost, or the same service at a lower cost. The intergovernmental agreement provided for the city to contract with the township for fire service, with the township having 75% and the city 24% equity ownership. Operating costs were based on SEV (33%), population (33%), and run/use (33%), with the city's share never being less than 25%. A special agreement provided for city firefighters to be hired at existing seniority levels. The merger has resulted in $6 million in projected savings over the 10-year contract, increased accessibility to all areas of the city, reduced response time to the township's western side, increased safety and better firefighter performance. |
| Contact: |
Richard Reaume, Supervisor Plymouth Township 42350 Ann Arbor Road Plymouth, Michigan, 48170 (734) 354-3840 |
Round Lake Park-Hainesville Police Department
| Lead Organization: | Village of Round Lake Park (Illinois) |
| Main Partners: | Village of Round Lake Park, Village of Hainesville |
| Year Project Started: | 1999 |
| Type of Collaboration: |
Functional Consolidation |
| Project Summary: |
The Round Lake Park-Hainesville Police Department has enhanced law enforcement services for both municipalities by consolidating equipment, personnel and budgetary contributions. The mayors and chiefs of these two separate governmental entities recognized the advantages of shared resources through intra-governmental agreements, which immediately impacted both villages by providing full-time policing for one and enhancing staffing, equipment and finance for the other. These combined resources have impacted crime statistics with a steady decline in criminal activity. Additionally, the Round Lake Park-Hainesville Police Department has formed a 9-1-1 communications center that combines the Lake County Major Crime Task Force that provides investigative and forensic assistance from over 35 agencies, the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System that provides manpower and tactical support throughout northern Illinois, the Municipal Crash Assistance Team that provides support for major accident investigation, and the Metropolitan Enforcement Group that provides narcotics and gang enforcement throughout Lake County. Each of these consolidated entities is supported by the agency with manpower and financial contributions. |
| Contact: |
George Filenko, Chief of Police Round Lake Park-Hainesville Police Department rlpchief@comcast.net |
Shared Information Network Consortium
| Lead Organization: | Brownstown Police Department |
| Main Partners: | Trenton PD, Riverview PD, Flat Rock PD, Grosse Ile PD, Rockwood PD, Gibraltar PD |
| Year Project Started: | 1999 |
| Type of Collaboration: |
Functional Consolidation |
| Project Summary: |
The project has enhanced law enforcement by providing a medium for various agencies to share data to assist in the apprehension and prosecution of criminals. The project also enables members to share resources by pooling funds, enabling them to purchase equipment and technology they normally would not be able to utilize. |
| Contact: |
Jim Sclater (734) 362-0702 |
South Oakland Narcotics Intelligence Consortium (SONIC)
| Lead Organization: | N/A |
| Main Partners: | Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield Township and Novi Police Departments and the Oakland County Sheriff's Department |
| Year Project Started: | --- |
| Type of Collaboration: |
Functional Consolidation |
| Project Summary: |
SONIC is a major crime, surveillance and undercover consortium operated and managed by the Farmington Hills Police Department. The chiefs of these local law enforcement offices recognized that federal, state and county resources could not devote full-time resources to the crime problems affecting Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield and Novi. The solution the chiefs developed is SONIC, the only Michigan multi-jurisdictional unit of its kind operated by a local city police department. Besides increasing effectiveness through coordinated enforcement efforts, SONIC reduces costs by sharing expense money and property seizures. During the first five months of 2001, SONIC successfully targeted five major drug dealers residing in the three communities. |
| Contact: |
Chief Dwyer
|
