Contact:
The Honorable Harry L. Berry
Hardin County Judge/Executive
270.765.2350

Luke B. Schmidt, President
L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC
502.292.2898

Hardin County United Launches Consolidated Government Study

Project Will Examine Options for Community’s Future

Elizabethtown, Kentucky (November 10, 2010) – Hardin County United (HCU) today announced its first formal project which will include a study of consolidated government and its potential for the Greater Hardin County community.

The study of consolidated government options for Hardin County follows-up on one of the principal themes from the previously concluded Hardin County Vision Project which calls for a unification of purpose for the community by streamlining areas where duplication now exists and more importantly beginning to speak with one voice.

Hardin County United Chairperson Harry Berry, speaking on behalf of the organization, commented: “The results of the Vision Project clearly indicate a preference for exploring opportunities to consolidate various facets of the community for the purpose of improving the efficiency of the delivery of government services.  The success of One Knox in securing state funds to facilitate the expansion of the community’s infrastructure to accommodate the growth at Fort Knox shows how important it is for the Hardin County community to speak with one voice.  This study will illustrate how this concept might be formalized to the benefit of the entire community.”

Hardin County United’s Governance Subcommittee will oversee the project.  HCU Governance Subcommittee Chairperson Ken Howard has challenged the Subcommittee’s members to view this project much like the early settlers who arrived in the Massachusetts colony on the Mayflower.  Specifically, if 100,000 residents (with more on the way) arrived on the shores of the Nolin and Ohio Rivers today at the doorstep of what is Hardin County – without the existing jurisdictional boundaries in place – how would these 100,000 residents choose to govern themselves?

“This project provides an outstanding opportunity to examine the future of Hardin County from a governance perspective, “said Howard.  “The Subcommittee will look at various types of consolidated government structures which are in use today – both inside and outside of Kentucky.  The Subcommittee will formulate a recommendation for the community which may result in a new consolidated structure or simply maintain the status quo.”

“The goal is to determine whether Hardin County would be better served by consolidation in terms of speaking with one voice as a community in Frankfort and Washington, D.C., improving the efficiency of delivery of various government services, and eliminating duplication of effort,” commented Howard.

Louisville-based consulting firm L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC has been retained to conduct the study (which is being funded through a grant from the United States Department of Defense, Office of Economic Adjustment and which is being administered by the Lincoln Trail Area Development District).  Luke Schmidt will serve as the project’s consultant.  Schmidt also served as the consultant for the Hardin County Vision Project on behalf of Hardin County Government and is also working with the Elizabethtown Airport Board to secure passenger airline service at the Elizabethtown Regional Airport.

“This project will cover a lot of territory,” said Schmidt.  “The project has the potential to provide a recommendation which can take the Greater Hardin County community to the next level in terms of governance and future economic development growth opportunities,” commented Schmidt.

The project will begin with an examination of existing government structures in Hardin County – including county government and the six municipal governments.  This examination will provide a baseline.

The next step will be to identify the types of consolidated government structures that are in use today and an examination of several existing consolidated government communities (such as Athens/Clarke County, Georgia; Augusta/Richmond County, Georgia; Columbus/Muscogee County, Georgia; Lexington/Fayette County, Kentucky; Louisville Metro, Kentucky; and, Nashville/Davidson County, Tennessee).

Additional project components include:

• Facilitate a series of community forums for the purpose of presenting project findings to date, soliciting input from community members, etc.

• Determine what is legally required in Kentucky to allow the consolidation of government in Hardin County

• Conduct interviews with chief elected officials and key government staff members from the various existing jurisdictions for the purpose of soliciting their views on what works best and what they would like to see in terms of government structure in the future

• Conduct interviews with key community leaders from each existing government jurisdiction for the purpose of soliciting their views on what they would like to see in terms of government structure in the future

“As this project moves forward, we will not lose sight of the good work that is being done every day in the existing government jurisdictions,” said Schmidt. “The question is how can we improve upon the existing structure?”

Hardin County United’s recommendation to the community will be presented in the spring of 2011.

Hardin County United (HCU) was established for the purpose of examining the various strategic goals which were established by the Hardin County Vision Project.  The intent of HCU is to prioritize the goals and to develop implementation strategies.  HCU’s leadership team includes Hardin County Judge/Executive Harry Berry who chairs the Steering Committee; One Knox Executive Director Brad Richardson, who chairs the Community Development Subcommittee; North Central Education Foundation President/CEO Al Rider, who chairs the Education Subcommittee; and Hardin Circuit Court Judge Ken Howard who chairs the Governance Subcommittee.

L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC is a Louisville-based consulting firm which specializes in strategic planning, organizational development, public affairs, economic development and marketing/communications projects (www.lbschmidt.com).

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Luke Schmidt, President of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, has joined the Steering Committee of the Parklands of Floyds Fork.

The Parklands of Floyds Fork (http://theparklands.org/) is one of the five largest parks projects currently under development in North America.  When fully completed in 2015, the Parklands will consist of a 4,000 acre linear system of four major parks in Louisville.  The professionally planned system will provide a unique “urban edge” along the eastern border of Jefferson County.

The parks will feature world-class hiking, biking and paddling trails along one of the most beautiful streams in the Bluegrass State. Within the park system, approximately 28 miles of biking trails will link to the Louisville Loop – a 100 mile bike trail which when completed will completely encircle Louisville Metro and will place Louisville among the three largest biking communities in the U.S., after Seattle and Denver.  The system will offer complete outdoor and educational facilities.

As a member of the Steering Committee, Luke Schmidt will assist with fundraising.  The project has a total fundraising goal of $113 million, of which, over $102 million has been raised to date.  In addition to serving on the Steering Committee, Luke Schmidt is also serving as an advocate for the Parklands of Floyds Fork and is taking the story of the project to community leadership groups in the outlying  Kentucky counties  of Hardin, Meade, Nelson and Oldham.

Article originally posted by The (Elizabethtown) News-Enterprise directed to:http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/vision-project-develops-consensus-change

Vision project develops consensus on change

Consultant presents results of research, surveys and brainstorming

By Ben Sheroan

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 7:00 pm

The 24 strategic goals identified through L.B. Schmidt and Associates’ research fall into six categories:

§  Education

§  Community Unification

§  Community Development

§  Quality of Place/Life

§  Downtown Elizabethtown

§  Health Care

By BEN SHEROAN

bsheroan@thenewsenterprise.com

A decade from now, Hardin County could operate under a single urban county government, allow all forms of alcohol sales and enjoy a vibrant nightlife on Elizabethtown’s Public Square.

Community leaders were surveyed and questioned in development of 24 strategic goals compiled by a consultant with roots in Elizabethtown. Many of the ideas released Thursday depart from the status quo yet received broad support in the brainstorming sessions.

“Not to say it was unanimous. It was not,” consultant Luke Schmidt said. “There was a very high level of consensus.”

The ideas range from creation of a community YMCA and trauma center certification for Hardin Memorial Hospital to controversial suggestions such as merger of public school systems and a change in alcoholic beverage laws to allow full “wet” status in urban communities.

The vision project began in July with selection of L.B. Schmidt and Associates of Prospect to coordinate research and analysis. Two detailed brainstorming sessions followed a 30-page survey completed by 70 community leaders and stakeholders. Schmidt, whose family ran a Coca-Cola bottling franchise in the community for three generations, also researched counties of similar size in Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi for successful ideas.

The next phase is collecting public input. A forum to review and discuss the topics is scheduled for 4 p.m. April 29 at the Hardin County Schools’  Performing Arts Center at John Hardin High School.

A population surge spurred by job development at Fort Knox, thanks to the Army’s realignment plan, fueled an initial discussion two years ago about a comprehensive vision for the county, Judge-Executive Harry Berry said.

“Hardin County is at the epicenter of the BRAC impact,” Berry said.

Funding came from the Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment and, after competitive bidding, Schmidt’s firm was hired by the Lincoln Trail Area Development District to coordinate the idea-generation process.

Several ideas suggest efficiencies available through consolidation of similar operations.

Education ideas include merger of the Hardin County, Elizabethtown and West Point public school districts into a single entity. The report also suggests a study of merged government structures that could lead to a vote on adopting a single countywide government. The list includes consideration of establishing a “powerhouse entity” to promote all facets of retail, business and industrial development including tourism and work force development.

“None of this is saying that any existing group is doing a poor job,” Schmidt said. “It’s just asking, ‘How do you make them better?’”

In discussing the findings, Berry said the One Knox strategy of speaking with a single voice in dealings with the General Assembly and the military during base realignment illustrates the effectiveness possible with unification. He said the more than $250 million state commitment toward road improvements would have been more difficult to achieve in a fractured approach.

As a single entity, Hardin County has the fourth largest population in Kentucky.

“It’s time to leverage our size and time to develop our synergies,” Schmidt said in explaining logic behind some of the recommendations.

After the April 29 forum, Berry said he would like to see volunteers interested in driving what he called “the mechanics” of the decision-making process. Steering committees may be created to research each idea’s value and the processes, costs and sacrifices necessary in consideration of each move.

“Ultimately, it’s what the community wants,” Berry said. “Not what 10 people want.”

COMING UP

Details about the 24 proposals in the Hardin County Vision project and initial reaction will appear in Sunday’s print edition of The News-Enterprise.

A decade from now, Hardin County could operate under a single urban county government, allow all forms of alcohol sales and enjoy a vibrant nightlife on Elizabethtown’s Public Square.

Article originally posted by The (Elizabethtown) News-Enterprise directed to:http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/exploring-vision-means-keeping-eye-unity

Exploring a vision means keeping eye on unity

By Ben Sheroan

Friday, May 21, 2010 at 7:00 pm

The process of developing a vision for Hardin County’s maturation and development raised several compelling questions and stirs a few age-old controversies.

You can get lost in complicated details about the ins and outs of reshaping government. The discussion about the value of healthy competition among fiscally viable public school systems versus a streamlined single district may be endless. And wet-dry raises issues of economic growth, quality of life and community values.

Those are the three biggest questions, perhaps. But the vision-casting ideas outlined last week at a community forum also include dreams about a symphony orchestra, a YMCA, trauma center designation at Hardin Memorial Hospital, a vibrant entertainment and retail hub plus a first-class hotel and conference center.

Some of the ideas seem within the community’s grasp. Others are more far reaching and challenging.

Nothing happens that doesn’t begin with a thought.

With all the subjects on the table, a more central question should be added to the mix.

Can we rise above our personal desires, traditions and bias to truly reach for the greater good?

A basic element of the Hardin County Vision Project as conducted by consultant Luke Schmidt was a survey of local leaders and so-called stakeholders — people who have demonstrated an interest by investing their lives in service to the community. Through a 30-page survey, follow-up interviews and meetings, 24 strategic goals were identified.

Central to Schmidt’s approach was asking participants to consider Hardin County as a whole. He defined community as Hardin County.

When determining how best to move the county forward, a sense of creating a unified voice and leveraging our size and talents is easy to see. Yet most of us typically define community in a smaller way. We are accustomed to considering our neighborhood or town as the community.

Unless Hardin Countians are willing to rise above our differences and focus on the whole, we’ll never achieve all that’s possible.

The four separate Chambers of Commerce operating in Hardin County have been building a model of cooperation that is now known as the Heartland Chambers Alliance. The victories achieved through One Knox in melding priorities of multiple city and county governments demonstrate the value of focusing our energies in Frankfort.

We have models of success. But the question remains: Can we remain focused on the greater good?

An ad hoc group of volunteers calling itself Hardin County United is beginning the process of examining, researching and challenging the Vision Project’s goals. In the interest of full disclosure, readers need to know that I personally have chosen to participate from the inside as a member of this panel. I will be a working component in the process but will not serve as a mouthpiece. The newspaper’s news coverage will not be hindered from asking any question because of this relationship.

The growth at Fort Knox has provided Hardin County with a great challenge. It seems wise to step out and analyze our options. Rather than let the future happen to us, Hardin County can manage and shape the unfolding events.

Great possibilities are before us, if we truly are big enough people to remain focused on unity and the betterment of all.

Ben Sheroan is editor of The News-Enterprise. He can be reached at bsheroan@thenewsenterprise.comor (270 ) 505-1764.