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 31)

In Praise of Smaller Municipalities

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Summary of This Commentary
Size does matter.  When it comes to local government, good things come in small packages.  What is a 'smaller' municipality?  The short answer is that it's a municipality which contains no more than 1 community.  By community, I mean more than just an area of contiguous settlement.  That area should also have a majority of residents who hold common views on 3 issues which are fundamental to local government -- type of services, service levels, and cost of government.  Why should municipalities be limited to a single community?  What is the optimum size of a municipality?  What makes smaller municipalities so special?  What are some of those vital characteristics?  How should municipal organizations be structured to promote accountability?  How should municipal organizations be structured to promote productivity?  How should local government be structured to promote productivity?  How should local government be structured to promote accountability?  Answers to these important questions -- and more -- are provided in this issue.

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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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.

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