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| Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce |
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Chamber Corner for March 14  |
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ROADMAP FOR A MORE EFFICIENT AND COMPETITIVE COUNTY
By Hans Auer, Chairman, Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce
Last week the Downtown Jamestown Development Corporation held their annual meeting at the Fenton Grill. Congratulations to Lee Harkness and his staff for hosting a great event. The keynote speaker for the event was Carl Dean, the current Mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. His official title seemed almost like a misprint in the program- Mayor of Nashville and Davidson County?
As Mayor Dean explained, in 1963 Nashville was successful in eliminating multiple layers of government by consolidating the Municipal Government of Nashville with that of Davidson County. The most difficult part of the process, in his view, was convincing one group of individuals to give up that intoxicating elixir…power. The result by almost all accounts is a more efficient and competitive local government. With a geographic area that covers 526 square miles and a population that totals approximately 620,000, I was astounded that Metro Nashville operated with one school district, one police department, one fire department, one water and sewer district….well, you get the picture. One could argue that such consolidation of services might result in significant cuts in the level of services residents enjoy, but something needs to change with the way our local government is structured.
Let's take a quick look at how we are currently structured in New York State and in our own Chautauqua County. New York State has 57 counties, 62 cities, 932 towns and 556 villages for a total of 1607 general purpose local governments. Add another 1811 special purpose local governments (includes 685 school districts, 867 fire districts,181 library districts and 78 commissioner run special districts) then throw in another 1302 other government entities for a grand total of 4,720 Local Government Entities! Chautauqua County does its part in contributing to the statewide plethora of government agencies with 27 towns, 15 villages, 2 cities, and 18 school districts!
Clearly the structure of our local government complex is broken and needs to change. Can we realistically expect this model, largely created when citizens had a horse and buggy as their primary mode of transport, to be efficient or even sustainable in our modern global economy?
If the concept of a more efficient and competitive local government sounds interesting or even familiar, it should. The "Lundine Commission," as our President Todd Tranum pointed out in last week's Chamber Corner, is a study that resulted in a comprehensive list of recommendations for "Local Government Efficiency & Competitiveness" (the Lundine Commission's official title).
The time for reform is now, and the place to start is at the most local of levels. Our elected officials have the Lundine Commission's recommendations as a roadmap on how to modernize our broken local government structure, now we need them to have the conviction to put the interest of their constituents ahead of their own.
BUSINESS OVER BAGELS – April 9th
HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM IN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY
The Chamber will hold a Business over Bagels event focused on how the Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers Association in partnership with Liazon Benefits and Univera is driving an effort to reform health insurance at the local level right here in Chautauqua County. The program will include an overview of how the Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers Association are driving efforts to contain health insurance costs. The Chamber’s new health insurance product offerings will be highlighted and a demonstration of Univera’s Active Rewards program will be presented and will show how it can help employers reduce their health insurance costs. On April 9th the Business over Bagels program will take place at the Justice Jackson Center located at 305 East Fourth Street, Jamestown. The program begins at 8am. The cost is $5. This event is sponsored by Advertising Advantage and Univera.
EXPERIENCE CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY – April 22nd
‘EARTH DAY’ GOING GREEN NETWORKING EVENT
Join the Chamber and Experience Chautauqua County, an opportunity to network, have fun, learn and experience the sites and tastes of Chautauqua County. We all recognize that Chautauqua County has many great assets. The Chamber of Commerce has built a program around the places and locations that make Chautauqua County great! These events will help you build business contacts, learn about ways to save money and enjoy various settings in Chautauqua County. The first Experience Chautauqua County Event will take place at the Audubon Society. At this event you will not only build new business opportunities but you will also learn about ways to reduce your energy costs and save money for your business. This is a great opportunity to experience the beauty of the Audubon. The event takes place April 22nd at the Audubon Society, 1600 Riverside Road, Jamestown. Registration begins at 5pm and the event ends at 6:30pm. The cost is $8 for pre-registered and $10 for walk in. This event is sponsored by Community Bank, DFT/Netsync, the Observer, the Post Journal and
OSHA ROUNDTABLE – April 23rd
OSHA UPDATE
A representative from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) will give an update to the Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers Association membership. This presentation will overview the current status of OSHA including; enforcement initiatives, compliance assistance, the OSHA regulatory agenda, as well as the status of the Voluntary Protection Program. There will also be an opportunity for Q & A. The program takes place April 23rd at 12pm at the Manufacturing Technology Institute at JCC, 512 Falconer Street, Jamestown.
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