City-County Unification

NOW! UNIFIED GOVERNMENT!
Park County-City/County Consolidation
A Petition has begun to put UNIFICATION
on the June 2008 Ballot.
In this era of cell phones, computers and global trade, it simply makes no sense, and is far too expensive, for about 16,000 citizens to be governed by dozens of elected and appointed officials, a city, a county, villages, and towns.

We are becoming involved in making it happen in Park County.
Won’t you join us?

1. Unified government will reflect reality. Most of us do not live, work, shop and visit friends and relatives only within the confines of a single town, unincorporated community or city. We are already citizens of Park County. Whether we vote for them or not, we are already governed by the elected officials of the entire area.
2. Unified government will enable more effective leadership. The way things are now, elected officials and department heads are often hamstrung. The tasks of government are divided up too many ways. There would not be the lack of cooperation for what ever reason and then very costly duplication of services.
3. Unified government will bring accountability to government. Only one legislature will be issuing bonded indebtedness, authoring new buildings and buying equipment. Only one executive will hire staff and engage consultants. It will be clearer whom to credit with success, or blame for failure.
4. Unified government will provide better services in everything from snow plowing and sewage to purchasing, fire fighting and policing. Municipalities already know there are efficiencies of scale -- witness the many examples of shared services. With one government, these cumbersome arrangements will not be needed. There will be an end to “Garbage Wars.”
5. Unifying would also give the unified government a fair share of the Hotel, Motel, Dude Ranch and Bed and Breakfast tax to promote our area’s tourism in all of our unified area. We would immediately qualify for 4% bed tax refund.
6. Unified government will save money. The long-range cost of unified government will be less than the growing long-range cost of what we have, especially when hidden costs of government inefficiency and lack of coordination are considered.
7. Abolishing the salaries and benefits paid to redundant upper managers and elected officials will produce immediate savings. Other savings will add up as redundant administration and investment is eliminated. (For instance, rather than laying off municipal employees, it might be better to attain the right sized force through attrition.) We’ll stop redundant equipment – (or at least stop buying it.) A unified government will be not only better but much cheaper. (over)


We would also like to make clear what unified government would not do:
2. 1..Unified government would not change school districts. They could change, but only if citizens make that happen via a process completely independent from the unification we propose.
3. Unified government would not abolish local identity. The Cities of Livingston and Clyde Park, as well as all the unincorporated towns of the County have rich histories. This diversity will not change, because it does not depend on the form of government in the first place: Clyde Park – Cooke – City - Corwin Springs – Emigrant - Gardiner - Jardine – Livingston - Miner - Pray - Silver Gate - Springdale - Wan I Gan - Wilsall etc. Unified government of Butte-Silver Bow did not destroy the communities within Silver Bow County:-Butte (county seat), There still is Centerville, Divide, Melrose, Ramsay, Silver Bow, and Walkerville
4. Unified government would not be less democratic, it would be more democratic by enabling citizens to elect and hold accountable leaders who can actually get things done. Unified government does not mean a City or County “take over.” We propose completely reorganizing area government, not expanding an existing government. Annexations of territory and combinations of municipalities may be needed because of state law, but these would be intermediate steps.

Getting Started
State law provides ways for voters and local officials to set the ball rolling. Indeed, changes in local government are among the few issues in some states that citizens can require by petition to be put on the ballot.
We can learn from Butte/Silver Bow and Anaconda/Deer Lodge here in Montana the 33 unifications achieved elsewhere in the U.S. – sometimes against substantial opposition, including from local officials. That is what happened in Montana and we are planning to bring people in from those communities to talk to us about it through the vehicle of “town meetings.” In both communities, there is an almost universal gratitude that the community took the step to unify and they would not go back to the old system. It should not be a daunting task to review these successes and glean from them what is appropriate for our region. Parochialism is not the answer.
We invite every resident to join us in this effort. We also welcome the efforts of local officials. What can you do?
1. Call and 222-1993 and sign up to get information either by mail or email on meetings, “town meetings,” or presentations on the subject of unification.
2. Call 222-1993 and speak to Bob Moore with any questions you might have. If he does not know the answer, he can help direct your questions.
3. Get involved in an ad hoc unification committee by calling or signing up on line.
4. Please visit http//youworkforus.blogspot.com for more information.
Unified government could literally put Livingston-Park County on the national map. How better to show that we are serious about a better future than to, along with Butte-Silverbow and Anaconda-Deer Lodge, lead Montana in achieving government that reflects 21st century reality?


Below is a breakdown of the costs of commissioners in Livingston-Park County, Butte Silver Bow County and Anaconda-Deer Lodge County
Please talk to your friends, neighbors. We all are the grass roots!
Isn’t it time we looked at the pros and cons of a Unified Government?
we now have 3 County Commissioners, 5 city commissioners
Total salar of the city commissioners per year
$ 15,000.00

Total salar of the county commissioners per year
$ 123,552.00

Combined, city county per year
$ 138,552.00

City attorney per year
Livingston, Park County population 16,000
each per year 7 part time commissioners
at the same gross budget
$ 1649.45
per month

Butte Silver Bow population 33,000
Butte Silver Bow Commissioners make per year
$4,145.00
per month
$345.42
There are 13 commissioners in Butte-Silver Bow
Executive Director
per year
74,738

per month
$ 6,228.17

County Attorney
Per year
$ 69,537.00
Per month
$5974.75 plus perks

Anaconda-Deer lodge population 9417
Anaconda-Deer Lodge Commissioners make
per year
$ 6,000.00

per month
$ 500.00
There are 5 commissioners in Anaconda-Deer Lodge
Executive Director

per year
$ 54,522.00
per month
$ 4,543.50

County Attorney's salary is mandared by the state
at $ 69,537.00
per year

In a time of fast track growth, it seems obvious that
real cooperation between the County and the cities of
Park County. What better way to obtain that goal than
unification.