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Metropolitan Governance

Metropolitan Governance. Problems of fragmentation. Racial imbalance Income/resource imbalance Increased business influence Negative/positive externalities Inflates housing prices; decreases housing supply Irrational land use planning

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Metropolitan Governance

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  1. Metropolitan Governance

  2. Problems of fragmentation Racial imbalance Income/resource imbalance Increased business influence Negative/positive externalities Inflates housing prices; decreases housing supply Irrational land use planning Problems in service provision (duplication; economies of scale)

  3. Three Types of Metropolitan Government City-County Consolidation: Nashville, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis Two-Tier Plan: Miami Three-Tier Plan: Portland and Minneapolis-St. Paul

  4. Assessment Some areas were excluded: wealthy suburbs, school districts. Why? Suburbs benefited with more efficient service provision Minority power in inner-cities was diluted Regional planning did become more rational

  5. When does Metropolitan Governance Work • When it is imposed by the state? • Regional tax base sharing? • When the regional government possess real power.

  6. Is Metropolitan Government Desirable? • Public Choice: • Competition = more efficient; more innovations • Polycentric = more choices • Economies of scale = big, unresponsive government • Mancur Olsen – smaller is better

  7. Is Metropolitan Government Desirable? • Metropolitanists: • Competition = irrational outcomes for public • Citizen are unaware of the choices • Choose were to live based on work and cost not local tax-service packages • Economies of scale = more efficient service provision • Fragmentation = sprawl = inefficiency • Externalities/spillover = unfair burden of urban amenities

  8. Problems with Regional Government • Corrupt (Miami-Dade Co. &. Kendall, Florida) • Overshadows local interests and needs

  9. Is Metropolitan Government the Only Way? • Easiest • Informal cooperation • Interlocal service contracts • Joint powers agreements • Extraterritorial powers • Regional councils/councils of governments • Federal encouraged single purpose regional bodies • State planning and development districts • Private contracting

  10. Middling • Local special districts • Transfer of functions • Annexation • Regional special districts and authorities • Metro mulipurpose district • Reformed urban county

  11. Hardest • One-tier consolidation • Two-tier restructuring • Three-tier reforms

  12. Easy Examples • Informal Cooperation • El Paso and Ciudad Juarez • Interlocal service contracts • Utilities, police and fire protection • Joint powers agreements • Detroit suburbs mutual aid agreement • Extraterritorial Powers • Houston, San Antonio – power over surrounding unincorporated areas • Council of Governments • San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) • Federally Encouraged Single Purpose Regional Bodies • CA Air quality control districts • Private Contracting • Pittsburgh – cultural arts programs

  13. Middling Examples • Special Districts • Sanitation, Forest Preserve, Tuberculosis, school districts • Transfer of functions • Atlanta and Fulton County; fire protection, sewage treatment • Annexation • New York and Brooklyn; Los Angeles water Imperialism (China Town) • Regional Districts and Authories • Orange County Transit Authority; Port Authority of New York • Metropolitan Mulitpurpose Districts (rarely used) • Metropolitan Seattle District – mass transit, sewage, etc. • Reformed Urban County • Strengthened county government • County administrator plan: part-time legislators hire full-time CAO • County Manger plan: even more power in the hands of professional executive • County executive plan: similar to strong mayor system

  14. Why is it so hard to form regional alliances? • Rational choice theory • Self-interested behavior • Rationality of free-riding • Status quo is safer • Business groups prefer fragmentation (on some issues) • Racial discrimination

  15. Non-regional solutions to sprawl? • Better Policies not fewer governments • Stop subsidizing growth by subsidizing extensions of highways and sewer and water lines • Get rid of zoning laws that discourage mix use areas. • Of course these probably require state intervention

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