County Services News

Joint Center Focuses on
Best Practices of Good Government

This summer, commissioners from Ada and Canyon counties, Idaho and mayors from Boise, Garden City, Meridian, Eagle, Nampa and Caldwell formed of the Treasure Valley Partnership to increase regional cooperation.

The partnership is a forum for county and city officials to address regional growth issues, such as community identity, open space and recreation and transportation linkages in a holistic and sustainable manner.

The Idaho example is just the kind of regional cooperation that NACo President Randy Johnson sees increasing because of the Joint Center for Sustainable Communities. The Joint Center is a collaboration between NACo and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

"One of the great opportunities that we have with the Joint Center is to promote the notion of approaches to regional problems," says Johnson. "This will not be an easy task since jurisdictional lines tend to shape the political and economic landscape of local government. But by showing real examples of how working with your neighboring city or county can create a win-win situation, the Joint Center will make a strong contribution."

Members of the Treasure Valley Partnership believes they can "maximize the benefits of growth while protecting their region and communities from costly sprawl." They also agreed to maintain and value their individual community identities within the region.

Their four major goals are to:

• create coherent regional growth and development patterns;
• link land use and transportation;
• reinforcing community identities and sense of place; and
• protect and enhance open space and recreational opportunities.

Clearinghouse resources
Additional information about the Treasure Valley Partnership, along with many other sustainable communities initiatives, is available from the Joint Center's new clearinghouse. The clearinghouse provides information about model county programs; innovative public participation methods; sustainable development plans, and actual codes and ordinances adopted by county/city partnerships.

The Joint Center will use the clearinghouse not only to provide information, but also to connect communities and officials who want to learn from each other.

For example, if a county wants to address an issue such as brownfield revitalization or job training, officials can call the Joint Center's toll-free number (800/696-1667) to receive technical assistance materials, referrals to federal assistance programs and information about other counties of similar size or background that have tackled the same issues.

Officials can also receive the latest approaches to promoting community involvement and stockholder participation. To help counties evaluate their efforts to build sustainable communities, the Joint Center's Clearinghouse offers benchmarks, sustainability indicators and other measures of success. All of these resources will help officials take the lead in creating community based solutions that will strengthen their communities.

In addition to the clearinghouse, the Joint Center offers a wide range of services to counties and cities looking for innovative solutions to the challenges they face. Services include the following:

• a peer exchange program that matches experienced elected officials who have proven solutions with jurisdictions that need to solve problems;
• technical assistance to counties and cities to help develop community-based strategies;
• leadership workshops for local elected officials who embrace creative citizen participation; and
• recognition of sustainable communities.

"Our task is to foster sustainable communities by providing local elected officials with advice, information and financial support," says Johnson.

"But one thing I know is that the notion of 'one-size-fits-all' does not work when dealing with local government. By looking at each community's unique problems from the standpoint of the environment, economy and community welfare, local officials will be able to find common ground that will lead to more lasting change."

For more information about sustainable communities initiatives, contact the Joint Center toll free at 800/696-1667.

(County Services News was written by Nick Keller, co-director, Joint Center for Sustainable Communities.)

 Board spotlights sustainable communities values
At its July meeting, NACo's Board of Directors passed the following values for the development of sustainable communities:

• Economic vitality is crucial to the health of every community.
• Natural, scenic, cultural, and historic resources are important to community assets.
• Choices should be made to accommodate economic development while preserving vital natural environmental systems.
• The process of arriving at a community vision should be open and inclusive and reflect the diverse population of the community.
• Because communities and their surrounding areas are interdependent, there is a need for collaborative approaches to problem solving.
• Safe, healthy, and clean communities are necessary to ensure a high quality of life for their citizens.
• Community stability and social well-being go hand in hand.

Some counties have adopted these values by passing a resolution. Let the Joint Center know how your county plans to use these values by contacting Nick Keller at 202/942-4224.