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Foster named to local government panel
State commission to look at increasing shared services, regional collaboration
By RACHEL M. TEAMAN
Reporter Contributor
Kathryn A. Foster, director of UB's Regional Institute, has been appointed to the Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness created by Gov. Eliot Spitzer to identify opportunities for shared services and regional collaboration for the state's more than 4,200 local governments.
"There is a tremendous opportunity for streamlining local government service delivery in New York State," said Foster. "I applaud Gov. Spitzer for taking the lead on asking us to take a deliberate and hard look at how we organize, fund and deliver government services."
The commission was created by an executive order signed by Spitzer.
Spitzer said the structure of local government in New York State facilitates inefficiency in service delivery. "The sheer number of taxing jurisdictions has led to a significant degree of overlap in public services, which has had a devastating effect on local tax burdens," he noted.
Foster joins 14 other commission appointees from across the state, including current and former local government leaders, academics and other governance experts. Four members were recommended by the legislative leaders of each house and one by the state comptroller. The commission will be chaired by Stan Lundine, former New York lieutenant governor, congressman and mayor of Jamestown.
In addition to identifying specific opportunities for consolidating local government services, the commission will promote smart growth and other regional initiatives that enhance the competitiveness and quality of life of New York's communities.
The governor will ask local officials across the state to identify at least one major efficiency initiative. A selection of these will inform the commission's study on the statewide application of service regionalization.
Foster said her appointment to the commission is a direct fit with the work of the Regional Institute, which counts among its current initiatives a national study of "regional resilience" in the face of demographic, economic and environmental change, and the development of case studies on shared services in Buffalo Niagara.
"The lessons learned from the work of this commission will have a direct, practical impact on governance in the Buffalo-Niagara region," she added.
The state will provide assistance and support from various state agencies and a small staff. The commission is to carry out its preliminary analysis within one year, reporting its recommendations by April 15, 2008.
The public can learn more about the commission and share ideas for local government reform at the commission's Web site at http://www.nyslocalgov.org/.
A major research and public service unit of UB, the Regional Institute plays a vital role in addressing key policy and governance issues for regions, with focused analysis of the Buffalo-Niagara region. A unit of the UB Law School, the institute leverages the resources of the university and binational community to pursue a wide range of scholarship, projects and initiatives that frame issues, inform decisions and guide change.