DALTON, Ga. - Leaders here continue to work toward functional consolidation - some shared departments, but county and city governments remain separate.
But some say a combined city and county government could be in the area's future.
Dalton Mayor David Pennington says, over the next year, city officials will study the issue and eventually present ideas to county leaders. He said a new government format that's "one government for the whole county" could be what's needed to succeed in the tough economy.
"If you look out over the next few years, government revenues at best will be stagnant, if not declining," he said. "And this is time to restructure government as businesses and families are restructuring themselves also."
Mr. Pennington said Whitfield County is deficit spending and, if revenues don't improve, they'll have to either raise taxes or cut spending to balance the budget. He said a combined government could prove more efficient and a way to maintain the area's service level at the current taxation level.
PDF: Dave Wills article on ConsolidationPDF: Columbus ConsolidationARGUMENTS FOR CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT* Removes competing and/or overlapping government services* Streamlines services; provides a one-stop shop for the public* Eliminates intergovernmental turf battles* Increases political strength through united community voiceARGUMENTS AGAINST CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT* Fewer elected officials could mean less accountability and representation* Bureaucracy could be larger, less responsive* Service levels and tax burdens could be inequitable* Potential job loss among city and county employeesSources: Whitfield County and Dalton leaders, Association County Commissioners of Georgia, Gainesville Sun, others
County Commission Chairman Mike Babb said he doesn't think merging the city and county government would help. He said the county's maintenance and operation millage rate of 5.061 is the fifth lowest in the state, and the county already operates on a minimal budget.
"Our deficit spending will be handled either by cutting expenditures or increasing the revenue stream," he said.
But, Mr. Babb said he's in favor of combining services wherever possible.
He said that, as the city and county continue to combine departments, the move ultimately could lead to a unified government.
Right now, city and county officials are studying combining recreation and fire departments. Most recently, they combined building inspection, enforcement and planning departments.
Mr. Pennington said he was inspired to pursue the concept of a unified government after a recent trip to Columbus, Ga.
Columbus and Moscogee County combined in 1971. It's the state's oldest combined government, said Isaiah Hugley, city manager for Columbus, Ga.
"I think the leaders back then saw the opportunity to bring two governments together (that were) providing similar services in overlapping jurisdictions," he said.
Mr. Hugley said it's helpful that leaders there speak with one voice and aren't stuck bickering about things like how to divide revenues for the area's 1-cent local option sales tax.
He said savings "will not come immediately," but Columbus has saved some money over the years because "you're operating one government instead of two."
But there are potential drawbacks to consolidation.
Dave Wills, government relations manager for Association County Commissioners of Georgia, said one could argue that there's less overall representation for residents.
Brian Anderson, president and CEO of the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce, said another issue is how to maintain the identity of separate areas.
Across state lines, Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield proposed that the city and Hamilton County explore a consolidated government, and some county officials have agreed to talk about consolidating a few essential services.