"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Some variation on this truism, whether originally attributable to Benjamin Franklin or Albert Einstein, must have been ringing in the mind of Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry after absorbing the results of a study of the Central Kentucky economy.
A Regional Economic Analysis commissioned by Bluegrass Tomorrow (BGT), paints a pretty bleak picture of a region full of talk about "competing in the global economy." When nearly 43 percent of children in the region's public schools qualify for reduced-cost lunches, should it come as any surprise that most of the 18 counties of the Central Kentucky region report below-average income growth? And, for a mayor who has inherited monumental fiscal challenges, it's a true wake-up call to see the city's revenue eggs all in a single basket, with payroll taxes accounting for most of the dollars collected to pay for the cost of operating a city. Imagine, then, the nightmare of discovering that lower-paying retail jobs have been replacing manufacturing ones at a frightening pace.
Like one big neighborhood
Addressing the recent BGT conference where the analysis was presented, Mayor Newberry spoke of Central Kentucky as a community of neighbors and said there is too much at stake in maintaining the area's "unique and irreplaceable living arrangement" for local governments to continue working at cross purposes.
"In light of the financial issues, the traffic issues and the environmental issues which confront Lexington and, I suspect, many of our neighbors, how do we move forward?" he asked. "On behalf of Lexington, I'll take the first step and commit to participate in a regional government summit. I tend to think of it as an effort to create a big neighborhood association, and just like members of neighborhood associations, I have no doubt that we will quickly identify a series of steps we can take to advance our common interests."
Pressing issues begging for a unified approach
Issues for consideration identified in the analysis presented at the Bluegrass Tomorrow conference include forming a united front to press for a state constitutional amendment allowing cities and towns struggling with growth and aging infrastructures to come up with their own revenue solutions. Increased local tax flexibility would "be coupled with a requirement that a portion of the revenue gained from that flexibility be shared regionally and used for targeted regional investments that are tied to economic growth and quality of life improvements."
The report also recommends regional cooperation in services ranging from fire protection, ambulance and 911 to economic development, water and sewer infrastructure and trash collection. The report also suggests shared purchasing of computer/technology services, gasoline, planning studies and road maintenance supplies.
Denver, Colo., Mayor Chuck Sisk detailed the rewards of regional government cooperation during the March 9 conference. Sisk described the Denver Metro Mayors Caucus, a cooperative alliance of the mayors of 32 cities and towns in the Denver metropolitan area. The group is committed to decision making by consensus.
"We reach consensus by listening carefully to each other's opinions and concerns, exploring possible options and searching for solutions that reflect the needs and values of each of our members," explains the group's Web site, www.metromayors.org. "Caucus positions do not emerge fully formed," it continues. "They evolve through the give and take that comes from full understanding of and dialogue about our differences. We begin these discussions knowing that we will have to work to narrow the field of common ground and to build solutions that all of us can live with, but which are not so diluted as to be meaningless."
It's music to the ears of any member of congress when local leaders come to them as one voice to ask for help in addressing common issues. But to Ben Chandler, it sounded downright symphonic when Newberry called on his regional counterparts to join him in a spring summit to explore cooperation in meeting 21st century economic realities. "That is a tremendous move on Mayor Newberry's part, and I think it shows a new era of cooperation between the different governmental forces in Central Kentucky," said the 5th District Democrat as he left Commerce Lexington's Public Affairs Luncheon at the Hyatt on March 12. "It's just good for the whole region when everybody talks to each other."
Bluegrass Tomorrow President Steve Austin said his staff is now working to organize a Regional Government Summit for spring.