Press
Release
Public works revamp
weighed
By Alex Doniach,
Commercial Appeal
July 5, 2007
With consolidation of Memphis and Shelby County law enforcement on the
table, county officials are now broaching the idea of merging other areas of
county government with Memphis and the suburban municipalities.
As annexations continue to chip away at Shelby County's unincorporated
areas, officials say it makes sense to slim down county departments by
contracting services with the cities.
"What we're talking about is looking for areas of potential duplication to
streamline operations by contracting services," said Jim Huntzicker, the
county's director of administration and finance.
On Monday, county commissioners are slated to talk about possibly combining
the county's engineering and public works departments with those in Memphis
and suburban cities.
That means road building, inspections and the upkeep of public water,
wastewater and storm sewer systems in the unincorporated areas would be
maintained by cities and towns on a contractual basis.
The details of the possible merger -- how county services might change and
how many employees might lose their jobs -- is still up for discussion,
Huntzicker said.
And officials are hesitant to use the word "consolidation."
Contracting for services with the municipalities is not a precursor to
outright consolidation, Huntzicker said. It would simply "reduce the number
of people overall, save some dollars and just be more efficient," he said.
The discussion is only the latest in recent consolidation talks. In June,
county commissioners approved the creation of a task force to study possible
city-county law-enforcement consolidation.
Last year county officials discussed the idea of contracting county fire
services with Memphis in the areas that Memphis plans to annex. That idea is
still on the table.
Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton said as annexations minimize the need for
county services, it would be logical to combine smaller departments where
possible.
"Wouldn't it make sense to ask (the municipalities), 'Since you are going to
be annexing this area soon, don't you need to learn about it because it's in
your annexation reserve?' " Wharton said.
He added there are no plans to tackle the hot topic of full consolidation,
an issue that periodically comes to the forefront only to die in a political
maelstrom.
"Let's be practical," Wharton said. "Why worry about that, waste all that
good will and energy on something that, excuse me, 'ain't going to happen.'
"
The topic is particularly controversial when it comes to discussing
consolidating the two school systems.
But smaller services can be merged to increase efficiency and save money for
the county, he said.
"I'm not going to just sit back and freeze because the difficult proposition
of schools looms large on the horizon," Wharton said. "Let's do what we can
to improve efficiency and that's what we're focusing on."
Since the 1960s, officials have attempted to streamline government by
merging various departments.
The office of planning and development, the health department and Juvenile
Court consolidated a few years ago.
Whether Memphis and the municipalities would be willing to contract
engineering and public works services with the county is still up in the
air.
City Councilman Jack Sammons, who chairs the city council's public works
committee, said he's enthusiastic about the idea, although the council
hasn't discussed it.
The municipalities have also been approached but haven't had serious talks.
James Lewellen, Collierville's town administrator, said they haven't
received any details about how their 15-square-mile reserve area would be
affected.
As county officials work out the details, Commissioner Mike Ritz decided to
sponsor a resolution that would express the commission's support.
"I think it's just us looking forward," Ritz said. "There's not any reason
to pretend (annexation) isn't going to happen."
Commissioner Mike Carpenter agreed that eliminating redundant services could
save the county money.
"We managed to squeak out this year without a tax increase, but we're going
to be faced with having to substantially cut services or increase taxes in
the near future," Carpenter said. "I think that's the thing driving this."
But not all commissioners are in favor of the idea -- which may make for
lively discussion when commissioners vote on the resolution Monday.
David Lillard, whose constituents live in the unincorporated and reserve
areas, says he's hesitant about contracting services.
"We might not get the priority service needed for our constituents," he
said, adding that municipalities may give preference to their residents.
Commissioner J.W. Gibson, who's in favor of consolidating where possible,
said Lillard's complaints are unfounded.
"It's what they say in order to create fear for change," Gibson said. "It
was the same argument when they decided to merge the office of planning and
development. ... Years later we can stand here and say that's not the case."
