In a recent New York Times article, the mayors of Utica, Syracuse and Schenectady, N.Y. were all quoted as saying that years of struggle with decaying retail centers and shrinking tax bases leads them to believe that their cities should look into merging into larger metropolitan or county governments.
If they do, just how successful might they be and what are the factors separating the wins from the losses.
Since 1921, 132 city and county governments have attempted consolidation. Of these attempts, 22 have been successful.
Better than half of these, 14, were in the southeastern region of the country. The remaining eight were Alaska or Montana. Of the 132 attempts at consolidation (some have tried more than once), 102 were in the southeast. Cities and counties in California, Utah, Montana, Missouri, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Iowa have also tried to consolidate.
One of the most recent consolidations was in Augusta City/Richmond County, Ga., which consolidated successfully in 1995 after overcoming Department of Justice objections to earlier consolidation plans approved by voters. The concern of the Justice Department in this case was the potential dilution of minority votes in the new governmental organization plan.
Only three of the other 16 consolidation efforts made in the 1990s have been successful. The citizens of Athens City/Clark County, Ga. approved a referendum in 1990, as did the citizens of Lafayette City/Lafayette Parish, La. in 1992.
In April 1997, Kansas City/Wyandotte County, Kan. was successful in getting its citizens to support a new consolidated government. By a vote of 15,743 to 10,685 the citizens of the city/county area approved the consolidation plan developed by the charter commission.
At the same time, on the other side of the country, the city of Griffin, Ga. and Spalding County, Ga. were making their second attempt at consolidation. For the second time the referendum was defeated.
What is it that spurs consolidation efforts? In some cases, it is the continuing sprawl of the city into unincorporated areas of the county. In other instances it is the continuing urbanization of the county that makes its services so similar to those provided by its central city that the duplication makes consolidation inquiries inevitable.
Another reason that many county governments look to consolidate with their major cities is economy and efficiency in service provision for their citizens. Many urban centers see suburban sprawl and the continuing migration of their middle-class residents to the suburbs, resulting in an eroding tax base.
An unanswered question remains. Have the 30 consolidated governments
been successful? Experts resurrect this question periodically, but have
not produced an accurate measuring stick. So far, this has not stopped governments
from exploring the possibility of consolidating.
(Research news was written by Jacqueline J. Byers, research director.)
| Year | Consolidation Attempt | Pass/Fail |
| 1990 | Athens/Clarke County, Ga. | Pass |
| 1990 | Gainesville/Alachua County, Fla. | Fail |
| 1990 | Sacramento/Sacramento County, Calif. | Fail |
| 1990 | Roanoke/Roanoke County, Va. | Fail |
| 1990 | Owensboro/Davis County, Ky. | Fail |
| 1990 | Bowling Green/Warren County, Ky. | Fail |
| 1991 | Griffin/Spalding County, Ga. | Fail |
| 1992 | Ashland & Catlettsburg/Boyd County, Ky. | Fail |
| 1992 | Lafayette/Lafayette Parish, La. | Pass |
| 1994 | Des Moines/Polk County, Iowa | Fail |
| 1994 | Douglasville/Douglas County, Ga. | Fail |
| 1994 | Metter/Candler County, Ga. | Fail |
| 1995 | Augusta/Richmond County, Ga. | Pass |
| 1995 | Wilmington/New Hanover County, N.C. | Fail |
| 1995 | Spokane/Spokane County, Wash. | Fail |
| 1997 | Griffin/Spalding County, Ga. | Fail |
| 1997 | Kansas City/Wyandotte County, Kan. | Pass |