Jefferson County Mayors Study Municipal Cooperation on Jails
Taking population into consideration, Jefferson County may have more jails than any other major county in the U.S., and the county’s mayors are investigating options for decreasing the liability, expense, and inefficiency that comes with operating so many separate facilities. As part of ongoing regional cooperation efforts, the Jefferson County Mayors Association commissioned a new […]
Cooperating for the Sake of Self-interest
Any effort to promote cooperation between governments quickly runs into skepticism. Cities and their citizens are self-interested, the thinking goes. They are not going to give up their advantages. They’re not going to be charitable to a neighboring community, just for the sake of being nice. And the skeptics are right. However, that doesn’t foreclose […]
Local Government 3.0
The following feature, which describes an alliance between the City of Montevallo, The University of Montevallo (UM), and Shelby County, marks the launch of an occasional series on creative cooperation between governments and other civic partners. Through the series, we hope to identify, share, and spread best practices and lessons learned. Why We’re Writing This […]
Jefferson County Mayors Cooperate on Pact to Prevent Intercity Business Poaching
Mayors from 22 cities in Jefferson County signed a “Good Neighbor Pledge” Wednesday, committing their cities to a set of economic development ground rules designed to prevent incentive bidding wars and counterproductive poaching between the patchwork of municipalities that comprise the county. With the Good Neighbor Pledge, the mayors hope to end divisive competition and […]
Leaders in the Shoals Seek Greater Collaboration
Energized by a climate of opportunity and a burst of positive attention for the region, civic leaders in the Shoals have launched a new effort to improve the economy and quality of life through cross-community collaboration. More than 150 people attended the launch of the effort, which is organized by the Committee for a Greater […]