Toledo Free Press
08-23-06
Consolidation not in everyone's interest
By James E. Hanley
Special to Toledo Free Press
With the prospect of Toledo/Lucas County consolidation being bandied about, it
is time to consider the prospects of what some mistakenly see as a progressive
move.
There are only 37 city/county consolidations in the U.S., and despite ongoing
efforts around the country, only five attempts have been successful in the last 15
years, according to researchers Suzanne Leland of the University of North
Carolina at Charlotte and Kurt Thurmaier of Iowa State University. In those
five, the key to success was convincing voters that the move would benefit the
whole community, rather than just one part of it.
For Toledo, no such vision has been presented. The leaders of the consolidation
movement have only expressed how it would benefit Toledo, not what it would do
for people in Neapolis, Monclova or the rural areas in between.
Consolidation attempts, say Leland and Thurmaier, are usually the brainchild of
civic leaders looking to fix persistent economic problems.
Even if it succeeds, consolidation would not solve Toledo's problems. Lucas
County suburbs such as Maumee and Sylvania would remain independent, still
competing with Toledo for business, although consolidation of the surrounding
territory might hinder their ability to grow. More importantly, Perrysburg, a favorite
landing site for exiting citizens and businesses, is conveniently located across
the river in Wood County and would continue to be an attractive option for those
seeking to escape Toledo's jurisdiction. In fact a consolidation that brought
businesses currently outside the city within its jurisdiction would certainly cause
more flight across the river or to other towns along the interstate 80 and 75
transportation corridors.
Supporters of consolidation will, predictably, claim that there are efficiencies of
scale that will be gained through consolidation. But economies of scale are
available only in capital-intensive industries, like steel or auto production. In
contrast, government is comparatively labor intensive, and smaller cities are
often better managed.
For example, in response to calls to consolidate police forces, Indiana
University's Lin Ostrom studied policing in the consolidated Indianapolis/Marion
County and the independent cities of Beech Grove and Speedway that lie within
the city/county boundary. Comparing demographically identical neighborhoods,
she found smaller cities had faster response times, a larger proportion of the
force on the street instead of behind desks, and better relations with the citizens.
Consolidation is also unlikely to substantially reduce the complexity and number
of governments. Before the creation of Unigov in 1970 there were
60 local governments within Indianapolis and Marion County. After consolidation
there were still 50, and in the 36 years since consolidation the number of taxing
units within the county has actually increased, according to Indiana University's
William Blomquist and Roger Parks.
We must also recognize that urban flight is a democratic process. It happens
when citizens and businesses choose governments by voting with their feet.
Beyond the city boundaries are people who overwhelmingly do not want to be
governed by Toledo. Sadly, Toledo's response is not to try to entice them back
into the city through better governance, but to force them back in by expanding
its reach. What is admirable about that?
In business, everyone hates a monopoly. They can get away with poor service
and higher prices because their customers have no options. When there is
competition, sellers must meet customers' demands. There is no magic in
government that causes it to behave differently. Toledo has performed poorly
and been outcompeted by its neighbors. Expanding the reach of its governing
monopoly would not a solution, but a reward for poor performance. Unless
Toledo improves its governance, the most predictable outcome of consolidation
would be even more development in Wood County.
James E. Hanley is chairman of the Department of Political Science at Adrian
College and a Fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.