View from the Cordillera

A Commentary on Achieving Excellence in Local Government
Read by Municipal Leaders on 4 Continents
Published by the Cordillera Institute (Vol. 4, Issue 3)

To Merge or Not to Merge ...

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Summary of This Commentary
In recent months, we have heard the question of municipal consolidation (or amalgamation) being discussed in several jurisdictions.  That means it's time to dust off the results of previous consolidations as a refresher for those who may be put in the position of having to choose ... to merge or not to merge.  In this commentary, we focus on amalgamations mandated by senior government -- on forced mergers.  So, what's the big attraction?  How have previous consolidations fared?  Have they improved the productivity and accountability of local government?  Why have results differed from expectations?  What about all those successes in the private sector?  Where does that leave us today?  If your organization is considering a merger with 1 or more of your neighbors -- or if your senior government is steering you in that direction -- this commentary provides some answers.  And, it offers a 2nd opinion.

As always, we welcome your comments.

David Barber
Director
Cordillera Institute
(416) 293-9300
CordInst@istar.ca
http://pages.istar.ca/~cordinst/

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About This Publication
Each week, View from the Cordillera covers some aspect of excellence in local government.  It may examine one of the success elements; it may present a case study; it may introduce a resource (an individual, a group, a publication, etc.) which is advancing excellence; it may advocate a new direction for local government; or it may identify a wrong turn in public policy and offer an appropriate remedy.  This electronic publication is being sent to those who govern, manage, support, and sustain our municipalities.  For more information, just click on the About VFC button below.

About the Cordillera Institute
The Cordillera Institute is an independent research and public policy organization dedicated to excellence in local government.  Since our founding in 1994, we have studied many high-performance organizations to learn what makes them successful.  From this research, we have distilled a set of principles, paradigms, policies, programs, and practices which are the key elements of their success.  Our mission is to be a catalyst -- to empower municipalities, public utilities, school boards, and other local public agencies to achieve excellence by adopting and applying these success elements.  For more information, just click on the About CI button below.

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