SHARED SERVICES Chemung County

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SHARED SERVICESChemung County

• Association of Towns of the State of New York
• 2008 Training School Annual Meeting
• February 18, 2008

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Shared Services means

• Mergers where appropriate
• Consistent levels of service for taxpayers
• Efficient delivery of services across boundaries
• Efficient scheduling of existing manpower
• Efficient use of materials and equipment
• Coordination of bids and contracts
• Coordination of training and safety programs
• Coordination of testing services
• Specialized service programs
• Shared engineering efforts
• SMSI Grants

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How do we make this happen?

• Highway Services Board
• Current members
• Towns of Big Flats, Catlin, Elmira,
• Horseheads, Southport, Veteran
• Village of Horseheads
• City of Elmira
• Chemung County
• The Highway Services Board will review the
  operations and services provided by the various
  municipal highway departments and explore
  opportunities where services and resources can be
  shared. The ultimate goal would be to develop a
  comprehensive road program resulting in a more
  efficient and cost effective service delivery
  system.

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Mergers

• Mergers can be a valuable tool, when used
  appropriately.
• Chemung County and the City of Elmira have merged
  the administrations of their highway functions,
  saving taxpayers the cost of one layer of
  administration.
• Estimated immediate savings in 2008
• 128,000 in salary and fringe.

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Consistent Levels of Service

• Taxpayers should have a reasonable expectation of
  responsiveness and quality of work.
• Key Examples
• Road Maintenance
• Snow Removal
• Traffic Signals and Pavement Markings

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Efficient Delivery of Services

• Municipal boundaries are invisible to the typical
  highway user.
• Routine maintenance and winter operations should
  be consistent across these boundaries.

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Efficient Scheduling of Manpower

• Make use of expertise and current workforce.
• For e.g., City employees may work to cut trees
  down in the Town of Elmira one day, while the
  Town may help the City haul blacktop at a later
  date.
• Understand that workforce reductions are not a
  focus or goal of shared services.
• Opportunities for future staff reductions could
  be considered by each Highway Services Board
  member.

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Efficient Use of Materials and Equipment

• No need for every municipality to own and
  maintain atypical equipment (graders, aerial
  trucks, pavers, etc.)
• Shared use of equipment, such as the pictured tub
  grinder, can be coordinated.
• Understand that each municipality will have to
  own and maintain core equipment (trucks, loaders,
  etc.,)
• Stockpile materials at convenient locations.

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Coordination of Bids and Contracts

• Expand use of joint services and materials bids
  for all to use.
• Coordinate priorities and contractors.
• Provide alternative to sometimes cumbersome state
  bid contractors and suppliers.

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Coordination of Training and Safety Programs

• Coordinate required training such as Right to
  Know and other OSHA requisite courses.
• Provide multiple training opportunities for
  employees
• Create training calendar for all municipalities.
• Improve safety on the job.

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Coordination of Testing Services

• Coordinate testing services for all CDL Licensed
  drivers.
• Reduce number of providers, while increasing size
  of driver pool for testing.
• Create efficiencies of scale reduce costs.

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Specialized Service Programs

• Fleet Maintenance
• Traffic Signals
• Traffic Sign Shop
• Bridge Work
• Tree Maintenance
• Tub Grinder

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Shared Engineering Efforts

• Stormwater Management
• Highway and Bridge Services
• Government-owned Utility Locations (Dig Safely
  NY)
• Pooled Resources

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Shared Municipal Services Incentive

• The Shared Municipal Services Incentive Program
  (SMSI) was established by the 2005-2006 New York
  State Budget, to provide technical assistance and
  competitive grants to two or more units of local
  government for the development of projects that
  will achieve savings and improve municipal
  efficiency through shared services, cooperative
  agreements, mergers, consolidations and
  dissolutions.
• County has submitted a grant to New York State.
• Grant would look at ways to coordinate efforts
  and reduce spending on highways County-wide.
• Grant would look at equipment inventory,
  infrastructure, etc.,

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Initial Efforts

• Merger of City and County Administrative function
  for Highway departments.
• Coordination of Equipment and Scheduling.
• Coordination of Bids and Contracts.
• Coordination of Training Efforts.
• Follow-through on SMSI grant.

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Shared Services Quotes

• The representatives on this Board have made a
  commitment to come together and perform a
  thorough review of everything we do in common,
  from snow plowing to the purchasing of equipment
  and supplies, and everything in between, and to
  look for areas where we can coordinate these
  services. Our goal is simple, to provide better
  services to the community in the most cost
  effective manner.
• - Tom Santulli, Chemung County Executive
• If there is a better way to provide services and
  save tax-payer dollars we owe it to our
  constituents to look at the possibilities.
  Agreeing to come together and have these
  conversations is the first step.
• - Michael Edwards, Town of Horseheads Supervisor
  Highway Services Board Chairperson
• These are sound agreements that will mean
  better-coordinated services, new efficiencies and
  cost-savings. City and county residents will be
  well-served by these initiatives, which were
  negotiated over six months to ensure balance and
  fairness.
• John Tonello, City of Elmira Mayor

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Questions?
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FACTS ABOUT CHEMUNG COUNTY FACTS ABOUT CHEMUNG COUNTY
Area in Square Miles 412
Population (Census in 2000) 91,070
POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONSChemung County is
situated in the Twenty-ninth Congressional
District, the Fifty-third State Senatorial
District, the One hundred thirty-seventh State
Assembly District, and the Sixth State Judicial
District.Chemung County has one city (Elmira),
eleven towns (Ashland, Baldwin, Big Flats,
Catlin, Chemung, Elmira, Erin, Horseheads, Southpo
rt, Van Etten and Veteran) and five villages
(Elmira Heights, Horseheads, Millport, Van Etten
and Wellsburg).
TOWNS(2000 Census) TOWNS(2000 Census)
Ashland 1,951
Baldwin 853
Big Flats 7,224
Catlin 2,649
Chemung 2,665
Elmira 7,199
Erin 2,054
Horseheads 19,561
Southport 11,185
Van Etten 1,518
Veteran 3,271
POPULATIONS(2000 Census) POPULATIONS(2000 Census)
Chemung County 91,070
Elmira -City (Incorporated 1864) 30,940
Elmira Heights (Incorporated 1896) 4,170
Horseheads (Incorporated 1837) 6,452
Millport (Incorporated 1923) 297
Van Etten (Incorporated 1876) 581
Wellsburg (Incorporated 1872) 631