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Unified government

January 25, 2014 By Luke Schmidt

Tone of SPCU report is positive (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal

Article originally posted to the (Somerset) Commonwealth-Journal’s web site http://www.somerset-kentucky.com/local/x1768000277/Tone-of-SPCU-report-is-positive

by Chris Harris Commonwealth Journal         Fri Jan 24, 2014, 05:29 PM EST

Somerset — Around 140 people attended Thursday night’s public unveiling of a $35,000 study designed to determine the feasibility of a united city-county government here in Pulaski County.
The tone of the presentation was overwhelmingly positive toward the idea that the area could benefit from a merging of local governments, focusing on several communities — including Athens, Ga., Butte, Mont., and Lexington and Louisville, Ky. — that apparently benefited from a similar unification.
“I think this community is at a real crossroads,” announced Luke Schmidt, president of Louisville firm L.B. Schmidt & Associates, and the man who conducted the study and presented it Thursday at the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce  “Business After Hours” event at The Center for Rural Development.

 
“You have a lot of great things here, a very good quality of life,” he continued. “… I think you have a real question to ask yourselves, and that is: Do we want to take our good local government and make it great? Do we want to bring new opportunities for growth and development and new jobs into the community that we might not get otherwise, unless we consider a change in … government?

 
“My recommendation to the community is, I think unified government, if it’s carefully crafted, carefully considered, and properly implemented … can, in fact, bring some benefits to the community,” he added. “If you draft a poorly-drafted plan, it won’t work. But if you really get involved, stay on it, and take the time and put together a really good plan, I think the opportunity exists to really move this community to the next level.”

 
Schmidt specified that this is because it gives the community “the ability to speak with one voice” in Frankfort and Washington; because clashes between local governments — and as Schmidt alluded to multiple times, the Pulaski County government and City of Somerset have had their share over the last year, particularly over occupational tax distribution — can potentially drive away businesses looking to locate here; and becoming the third-largest community in the state in terms of population.

 
Schmidt said that he saw only two disadvantages to a merger: the loss of USDA loans due to population thresholds (which would take place if the city reached second-class status with a population of 20,000 — which, Schmidt said, has been a stated goal of Somerset Mayor Eddie Girdler anyway), and potential loss of community identity, which Schmidt also downplayed, as “it’s not like the complexion of the community will just dry up and disappear,” as he put it.

 
The results of the study are available at www.spcunited.com. SPCU (Somerset-Pulaski County United) is the group made up of numerous local citizens and businesspersons who pushed for the feasibility study to take place.

 
The study was just research; any unification of local governments would have to be voted upon by Pulaski County citizens, and the process could take years if it ever gets off the ground at all. Schmidt stressed that without participation by the City of Somerset, the plan wouldn’t work.

 
To date, Mayor Eddie Girdler and the Somerset City Council have been resistant to working with those conducting the study.

 
Pat Bourne was one councilor who attended the Thursday meeting. He said he hadn’t “established an opinion” on the matter but was just there as a citizen to learn more.

 
“It didn’t tell me anything that I hadn’t already thought of,” he said of the presentation. “I don’t know where this thing’s going or if they’re going to continue doing research on it or not.”

 
Bill Leslie of the Burnside City Council was in attendance too. He didn’t expect a unified government situation to ever transpire given Somerset’s opposition, nor did he think it was a good idea for his own city.
“No, I don’t,” he said when asked if he thought unified government would be in Burnside’s best interests. “We would lose our identity as Burnside. … We have these individual forms of government because that’s what we chose. If we’re going to merge, why not merge all the states? Do away with all local governments? No, that’s not the way to do it.”

 
Other officials had a more favorable reaction, particularly those representing the county government. The Pulaski County Fiscal Court, unlike the Somerset City Council, opted to help fund a third of the cost of the study.
“I think personally that we need to look into bettering our county,” said Fifth District Magistrate Mike Strunk. “… I think we need to look into (the merger plan) more. From what I heard tonight, yeah, I think it could be the best thing for our county.”

 
“My take as a magistrate is that I feel like we owe it to the county to look into this,” said Third District Magistrate Glenn Maxey. “… We have talked to these people a couple of times before. (The presentation) did shed light on a couple of different things I didn’t realize, like some of the cities that had gone into (a similar situation).”

 
Judge-Executive Barty Bullock was present Thursday night and said a lot of “good questions” were asked and answered.

 
“I think as elected officials, it’s our responsibility to look at every option to see if there’s something out there that’s better for the people of the county,” he said. “It’s something I can’t do or the mayor can’t do on his own. It has to go to a public vote. We as officials would abide by whatever the people vote for.”

 
Tiffany Bourne, Community Development Director with the county government, said that streamlining government would create less competition over financial resources.

 
“It is hard enough to compete with other counties and states for grant money without having to compete with our local cities,” she said. “No matter who the voice is, we need to speak as one voice.”

 
Bobby Clue, executive director of the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce, said that Schmidt’s presentation was “solid” and provided a lot of good information.

 
“The jury’s still out as far as we’re concerned,” he said. “We (the Chamber) are going to go back and meet as a board and we’re going to truly review what we’ve seen tonight. As soon as we do that, hopefully we’ll be able to come up with some conclusions on how we truly feel about united government.”

 
Clue said that having lived in Lexington, which merged with Fayette County decades ago, he saw lots of positives and very few negatives in that community. He noted that it’s difficult to tell if all of the developments Schmidt pointed out that occurred in other unified communities happened because of a merger similar to what’s being proposed in Pulaski County.

 
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” he said.

 
Numerous other individuals not in a public office of some kind also came to the meeting to hear what Schmidt had to say, and came away with a collectively mixed reaction.

 
Patty Ping of Childers Financial Services was all for the plan she heard about on Thursday night.

 
“I think it’s a great thing, long overdue,” she said. “I think there’s a lot of waste, a lot of repetition (in government). It would make things much simpler for us as citizens with what they’re trying to do to draw in industry and keep the population here, and even bring in new population. … I think (the study) was very informative, especially if you have an open mind.”

 
Ross Rutt, director of operations for Blackboard Student Services, didn’t share the same optimism.

 
“My biggest issue is that I think the priority of the county is job growth … and I just don’t see where any unified government at this point in time shows any data that it would improve net job adds,” he said. “My concern is that I see a lot of folks as public officials, representatives of the community organizing around this as opposed to job growth and that just sort of perplexes me. … I believe from an efficiency perspective (the plan) makes sense. I just believe that if we really want to improve our community, it’s going to be about focusing on really bringing some real jobs in. That’s what’s driving the issues with our community, like drug use and poverty.”

 
Real estate appraiser John Haney said that a unified government could be a “great step forward” for the community, and that the presentation raised a lot of intriguing questions for him.

 
“(The study) didn’t sway me either way,” he said. “My opinion has been that I’ve been on board with the merger or the prospect of looking into it since Day 1.”

 
According to Dave Weddle of Wellhead Energy Systems — the man whose Progress Somerset group successfully led a drive to make Somerset “wet” with alcohol sales in 2012 — it’s all just speculation unless Somerset city leaders indicate that they’re on board.

 
“It’s really impractical to do this without Somerset being fully engaged in the unification process,” he said. “… You’d have to assume that if the city (voting base) comes back and keeps things as they are (in the upcoming election), that would be a strong point on them saying they’re happy with the way things are.

 
“I think any place that doesn’t look at change every day … will probably fall behind,” added Weddle. “There are real, positive attributes to looking (at a unified government plan), but again, the devil is in the details.”

Filed Under: 2014, Consolidated (Metro) Community Government News, Latest News Tagged With: consolidated government, Government relations, luke schmidt, pulaski county, somerset, somerset - pulaski county united, Unification, Unified government

January 23, 2014 By Luke Schmidt

“Unified Government” Study released in Pulaski County WYMT-TV (Hazard)

Article originally posted to WYMT-TV web site http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/Unified-Government-Study-released-in-Pulaski-County-241772741.html

 

The Pulaski County Unified Government Study Findings Presentation was held Thursday at the Center for Rural Development in Somerset. The study was commissioned by “Somerset-Pulaski County United” and the Pulaski County Fiscal Court and was conducted by a Louisville-based consulting firm.

A study to explore a unified government in Pulaski County that was the topic of conversation in Somerset Thursday, but what exactly is a “unified government” anyway?

“It’s essentially a merger of two or more local governments.  Instead of having, say four cities and one county government.  In theory, a combined or unified government could consolidate all of those governments into one streamlined government,” said Luke Schmidt of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, the firm that conducted the study.

And that was the theory presented to dozens of community members.  More specifically, organizers say the goal was to explain how such a government could be implemented in the future.

“We just want to educate the community on what the possibilities are for economic development and opportunity in Pulaski county and Somerset,” said Brook Ping of Somerset – Pulaski County United.

But not everyone in the area supports the idea of unifying municipal governments.  The city of Somerset elected not to participate in the study, its mayor saying such a path would have negative consequences.

“It’s not in the best interest of our citizens, or voters of Somerset, to take our resources and the efforts we’ve made and to virtually give them away to the county,” said  Eddie Girdler, mayor of Somerset.

But organizers behind the study say this presentation should not be misinterpreted as a vote of support for a unified government, but merely as a starting point to begin the conversation.

Filed Under: 2014, Consolidated (Metro) Community Government News, Latest News Tagged With: consolidated government, Government relations, luke schmidt, pulaski county, somerset, somerset - pulaski county united, Unification, Unified government

January 23, 2014 By Luke Schmidt

SPCU study stresses plan isn’t political (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal

Article originally posted to the (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal web site http://www.somerset-kentucky.com/local/x1767997925/SPCU-Study-stresses-plan-isn-t-political-foresees-Somerset-as-third-largest-city-in-state

SPCU study stresses plan isn’t political; foresees Somerset as third largest city in state

by Bill Mardis Commonwealth Journal          Thu Jan 23, 2014, 07:38 PM EST

Somerset — Unifying governments in Pulaski County is a citizen-driven opportunity to streamline government through unification and is not involved in politics.
This was the central theme of a study released late yesterday to the Commonwealth Journal, and then to the public at a Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce “Business After Hours” event at The Center for Rural Development.
The 10-month study, commissioned by Somerset-Pulaski County United (SPCU), a group of about 150 civic and business leaders, was conducted by Luke Schmidt, president of Louisville-based consulting firm L.B. Schmidt & Associates.
“Neither SPCU nor locally elected officials, only voters can approve or reject unification,” Schmidt emphasized from the start. “We have never said … we will never say existing governments in Pulaski County are bad, nor does the study reflect negativity,” he insisted.
The study insists unification presents an opportunity to build a bigger and better community. “The opportunity exists to make good local government great with everyone focused on a common purpose –– to grow the community and create new jobs,” Schmidt said. “For communities that have unified, not one has dissolved its unified government to return to the former form of duplicative government, he related.
“This study provides a foundation for SPCU as we begin to consider both the positives and negatives that might accrue to our community if the community wishes to unify the various local governments, said SPCU chairman Brook Ping. “It is an educational process,” he added.
Unified governments in the county would dissolve city boundaries and create one government for the entire county. The exception is Eubank which straddles the Pulaski-Lincoln county line and by state law is not eligible to participate in a unified government. Schmidt said Eubank could enter into an interlocal agreement and be a participating city with unified governments.
The sense of community would remain … Nancy would be Nancy, Science Hill would be Science Hill, Burnside would be Burnside, both Ping and Schmidt emphasized.
At present, Pulaski County has 56 local government jurisdictions providing services to 63,000 people. Greater Pulaski County has an additional 32 boards and commissions for a total of 88 government-related entities, the study noted.
Annually, it costs $27.7 million in general fund revenues and a workforce of 581 employees to provide local government services in all of Pulaski County, the study pointed out. Somerset, with its current population of 11,296, is the 33rd largest city in Kentucky. Unified, with a population of more than 63,000, Somerset, now a third-class city, would be the third largest city in the state, qualifying for 2nd-class status.
Typically, no public workers from unifying jurisdictions are laid off as the result of merger. The work force is reduced by normal attrition, the study says.
“No one is saying unified governments will save money, only that money will be spent more efficiently,” said Schmidt.
Unification will not move school boundaries; it will not change local option areas, and with combined budgets, tax rates usually stay the same, Schmidt pointed out.
Schmidt and Ping explained that the unified government law in Kentucky has been modified to allow individual cities to remain unchanged.
“For example,” Schmidt said, “If voters in Science Hill rejected unification the city would not change. If voters in Somerset and unincorporated areas voted against the plan, unification is dead,” he noted.
“The most important part of the study, and perhaps the hardest part, will be for all citizens to begin thinking, not only outside the box, but also outside of traditional boundary lines,” said Schmidt. “The opportunity exists to build a bigger and better community,” he added. Economic development officials in unified communities confirm that having one central government is much more attractive to business and industrial clients considering investing in a community, the study said.
Somerset and Ferguson already have opted out of the plan and “ … without Somerset unification won’t work,” Schmidt conceded.
According to law, to start a unification process, Pulaski Fiscal Court, Somerset City Council and governing bodies of Burnside, Ferguson and Science Hill by ordinance would create an official Unified Government Commission made up of between 20 and 40 members to plan a structure for a unified city-county government.
Pulaski Fiscal Court would appoint half the members of a Unified Government Commission and the remaining members would be appointed by participating cities, prorated on population.
Any type of merged governments must be approved by voters of Pulaski County. Ping has said several times that unification is a slow process and successful merger could take up to four years

Filed Under: 2014, Consolidated (Metro) Community Government News, Latest News Tagged With: consolidated government, Government relations, luke schmidt, pulaski county, somerset, somerset - pulaski county united, Unification, Unified government

January 22, 2014 By Luke Schmidt

Unified government plan to be unveiled (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal

Article originally posted to the (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal web site http://www.somerset-kentucky.com/newslive/x1427970087/Unified-government-plan-to-be-unveiled

Public invited to hear results of SPCU study at Center tonight

by Bill Mardis Commonwealth Journal          Wed Jan 22, 2014, 05:59 PM EST

Somerset —

A 10-month study on feasibility of unified local governments in Pulaski County will be discussed tonight at The Center for Rural Development. The event, in a Somerset-Pulaski County Chamb-er of Commerce “Business After Hours” format, will begin at 6 p.m. and the public, elected officials and candidates for public office are urged to attend.
Luke B. Schmidt, president of Louisville-based consulting firm L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, will make a formal presentation on the study’s findings, according to Brook Ping, chair of Somerset-Pulaski County United (SPCU), a group of about 150 local business and community leaders.
None of the study’s findings has been released up to now. However, a news release from SPCU said a broad base of the study includes an analysis of existing governmental structures in Pulaski County, an examination of select community unified government structures in the United States and an overview of how to form unified governments in Kentucky and Pulaski County.
SPCU has emphasized from the onset that the $35,000 study will not advocate unification of city and county governments; only determine the feasibility of unified governments. They have pointed out that Somerset, with its current population of 11,296, is the 33rd largest city in Kentucky. Unified, with a population of more than 63,000, Somerset, now a third-class city, would be the third largest city in the state, qualifying for 2nd-class status.
Ping pointed out that unification, if approved by voters, is a slow-moving procedure. He estimated it would take at least four years.
  “Lots of questions have been raised about unified government and what it might mean to the community,” said Schmidt. “Our presentation will begin to answer these questions with real data about the current form of government in Pulaski County, contrasted with how communities with unified governments operate. Clearly, opportunities exist to take Pulaski County’s good government and perhaps make it even better,” he commented.
  Unifying governments requires several steps and the law is designed to make it difficult to merge in order to ensure considerable thought goes into developing the formal plan of unified government (also known as the charter), Schmidt stated.
  Schmidt at the chamber forum will address what happens if merger occurs, including status of jobs currently held by public workers; what impact does merger have on the sale of alcoholic beverages, school districts and utilities; and, will tax rates go up or down?
  “The most important thing for everyone to keep in mind at this point is that unified government, if it does indeed occur, is a long way down the road,” Schmidt repeated.  “In the end, only voters, not SPCU nor locally elected officials, can approve or reject unification,” he emphasized.
“For now, we invite everyone in the community – the general public, elected officials and potential future candidates for public office to join us at The Center as we embark on what most likely will be an extensive community dialogue on the future of local government in Pulaski County,” Schmidt concluded.
 Unified governments in the county would dissolve city boundaries and create one government for the entire county. The exception is Eubank which straddles the Pulaski-Lincoln county line and by state law is not eligible to participate in a unified government.
According to law, Pulaski Fiscal Court, Somerset City Council and governing bodies of Burnside, Ferguson and Science Hill by ordinance would create an official Unified Government Commission made up of between 20 and 40 members to plan a structure for a unified city-county government. Somerset and Ferguson apparently would not participate and, according to Schmidt, “would not have a seat at the table.”
Pulaski Fiscal Court would appoint half the members of a Unified Government Commission and the remaining members would be appointed by participating cities, prorated on population. It is not clear at this point how lack of participation by Somerset, the largest city in the county, would affect the unification process.
Any type of merged governments must be approved by voters of Pulaski County.

Filed Under: 2014, Consolidated (Metro) Community Government News, Latest News Tagged With: consolidated government, Government relations, luke schmidt, pulaski county, somerset, somerset - pulaski county united, Unification, Unified government

January 21, 2014 By Luke Schmidt

Results of unified government study to be released this week (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal

Article originally posted to the (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal’s web site http://www.somerset-kentucky.com/local/x1427967744/Results-of-unified-government-study-to-be-released-this-week

By Bill Mardis

Somerset — Findings in a 10-month study of feasibility of unified local governments in Pulaski County will be presented at 6 p.m. Thursday, January 23 at The Center for Rural Development. Elected officials, candidates for public office and the public are urged to attend the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event in a “Chamber after Hours” format.

Luke B. Schmidt, president of Louisville-based consulting firm L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, will make a formal presentation on the study’s findings, according to Brook Ping, chair of Somerset-Pulaski County United (SPCU), a group of about 150 local business and community leaders.

“Release of the study’s findings has become a much-anticipated community event,” said Ping.  “SPCU’s focus during this entire endeavor has simply been to learn more about the potential benefits that unified government might offer our community.  SPCU’s mission is to improve our community and to improve economic development opportunities and this study represents our first step down this path for a better future,” Ping emphasized.

None of the study’s findings has been released up to now. However, a news release from SPCU said a broad base of the study includes an analysis of existing governmental structures in Pulaski County, an examination of select community unified government structures in the United States and an overview of how to form unified governments in Kentucky and Pulaski County.

SPCU has emphasized from the onset that the $35,000 study will not advocate unification of city and county governments; only determine the feasibility of unified governments. They have pointed out that Somerset, with its current population of 11,296, is the 33rd largest city in Kentucky. Unified, with a population of more than 63,000, Somerset, now a third-class city, would be the third largest city in the state, qualifying for 2nd-class status.

Ping pointed out that unification, if approved by voters, is a slow-moving procedure. He estimated it would take at least four years.

“Lots of questions have been raised about unified government and what it might mean to the community,” said Schmidt.  “Our presentation will begin to answer these questions with real data about the current form of government in Pulaski County, contrasted with how communities with unified governments operate.  Clearly, opportunities exist to take Pulaski County’s good government and perhaps make it even better,” he commented.

Unifying governments requires several steps and the law is designed to make it difficult to merge in order to ensure considerable thought goes into developing the formal plan of unified government (also known as the charter), Schmidt stated.

Schmidt at the chamber forum will address what happens when merger occurs, including such things as what happens to jobs currently held by public workers; what impact does merger have on the sale of alcoholic beverages, school districts and utilities; and, will tax rates go up or down?

“The most important thing for everyone to keep in mind at this point is that unified government, if it does indeed occur, is a long way down the road,” Schmidt repeated.  “In the end, only voters, not SPCU nor locally elected officials, can approve or reject unification,” he emphasized.

“For now, we invite everyone in the community –– the general public, elected officials and potential future candidates for public office –– to join us at The Center as we embark on what most likely will be an extensive community dialogue on the future of local government in Pulaski County,” Schmidt concluded.

A major stumbling block is Somerset’s refusal to participate in the study. Somerset City Council has directed its legal department to obtain whatever help necessary to protect the existence and boundaries of the city. Ferguson City Council also has adopted a resolution opting out of the study. Pulaski Fiscal Court has cooperated, paying about $12,000 as its share of the study’s cost. Other cities in the county generally have taken a wait-and-see attitude.

Unified governments in the county would dissolve city boundaries and create one government for the entire county. The exception is Eubank which straddles the Pulaski-Lincoln county line and by state law is not eligible to participate in a unified government.

According to law, Pulaski Fiscal Court, Somerset City Council and governing bodies of Burnside, Ferguson and Science Hill by ordinance would create an official Unified Government Commission made up of between 20 and 40 members to plan a structure for a unified city-county government. Somerset and Ferguson apparently would not participate and, according to Schmidt, “would not have a seat at the table.”

Pulaski Fiscal Court would appoint half the members of a Unified Government Commission and the remaining members would be appointed by participating cities, prorated on population. It is not clear at this point how lack of participation by Somerset, the largest city in the county, would affect the unification process.

Any type of merged governments must be approved by voters of Pulaski County.

Filed Under: 2014, Consolidated (Metro) Community Government News, Latest News Tagged With: Community Developmen t, consolidated government, Government relations, pulaski county, somerset, somerset - pulaski county united, Unification, Unified government

August 24, 2013 By Luke Schmidt

‘Unified government’ consultant responds to mayor (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal

 

The following Letter to the Editor was originally published in the (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal on August 24, 2013:

Dear Editor:

I read with interest the article in last Sunday’s Commonwealth Journal concerning the ongoing unified government study in Pulaski County. I was particularly interested in comments made by Somerset Mayor Eddie Girdler that seemed to imply that as the project consultant that I have been harassing him and the City.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Let me begin by first stating that I have nothing but the highest regard for Mayor Girdler. Somerset is a progressive city with lots of good things going for it. I fully respect the fact that the City Council earlier this summer passed a resolution indicating that the City does not wish to consider unifying with any of its neighbors, no matter what the potential benefits of such unification might bring to the City and its residents.

As project consultant, I made it clear early on that one of the most important parts of the study is to learn more about how each of the existing government jurisdictions operates. To that end, I have now met with the mayors of each city in the county, with the exception of Mayor Girdler, plus Pulaski County Judge/Executive Barty Bullock. I now have a better understanding of how each community is organized, a little bit of the history of each and most importantly, some of the things which are very important to each community, again with the exception of Somerset.

When I started this part of the study, I sent a letter to each mayor, including Mayor Girdler, requesting an appointment. I followed this up with a telephone call to each. Mayor Girdler never returned any of my calls. I stopped by his office on two occasions when I was in Somerset, each time asking his assistant for just “five minutes” to speak with the mayor, with the hope of scheduling an appointment that if for no other reason would allow him the opportunity to share with me why he is so opposed to this study and the opportunity to learn more about how unified government works, and, to see if there are any benefits to be gained for the community (the study has not been completed, so we don’t know yet if there will be any benefits). While he was out of town during one of these times, his assistant refused to announce my request to the mayor the other time.

I did receive a one paragraph letter from the mayor, in which he indicated that he would not meet with me, nor would he allow any city staff member to meet with me. He did indicate in his letter that some of the information that I was interested in obtaining would be available through an Open Records request.

Consequently, having tried every other approach to meet with the mayor, I did file an Open Records request of him (since I never got past his assistant’s desk, I was unaware of the procedure of submitting such requests to the city clerk).

In closing, throughout my career I have worked with elected officials on all levels – state, federal and local – going back to 1980. I have worked with local officials – successfully – all over the United States in communities like Hennepin County, Minnesota (Minneapolis), Philadelphia, Campbellsville, Ky., etc., on a variety of issues. While

we might not always agree, in every instance the relationships have been productive, professional and mutually respectful. I have no doubt that this will be the case with Mayor Girdler when our paths do cross in the future.

In closing, I appreciate the opportunities that I have had thus far to learn more about how Greater Pulaski County works. My invitation to Mayor Girdler stands: I would welcome the opportunity to begin an open and candid discussion of all of these issues with him. 

Sincerely,

 

Luke B. Schmidt

L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC

6316 Innisbrook Drive

Prospect, Ky. 40059

Filed Under: 2013, Consolidated (Metro) Community Government News, Latest News Tagged With: consolidated government, Government relations, luke schmidt, pulaski county, somerset, somerset - pulaski county united, Unification, Unified government

August 12, 2013 By Luke Schmidt

Unified government group wants Somerset’s data (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal

Article originally posted to the (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal’s web site http://somerset-kentucky.com/newslive/x1664882430/-Unified-government-group-wants-Somerset-s-organizational-financial-data

Group’s consultant filed open records request with Girdler

by Bill Mardis Commonwealth Journal   The Commonwealth Journal       Sun Aug 11, 2013, 10:00 AM EDT

Somerset —

The consultant for an ongoing study about the feasibility of a united city-county government in Pulaski County has mailed an open-records request to Somerset Mayor Eddie Girdler asking for information about the organization of the city’s government and its financial data, tax structure and revenue sources.
Luke B. Schmidt, president of L.B. Schmidt and Associates, says he wants a snapshot of Somerset’s government. Somerset and Ferguson have opted out of the unification study and Mayor Girdler has refused to meet with Schmidt to discuss the plan.
“I expect to get the information,” said Schmidt. “He (Girdler) is bound by law to provide that.”
As for the study, Schmidt said he is still in the process of assembling data. He said he has met with officials of other cities in the county and with county government officials. “They all have been very gracious and helpful,” he said.
Will it be possible to form a united city-county government in Pulaski County if Somerset, the largest city, refuses to participate?
“If Somerset says ‘no,’ it obviously will be more difficult to put together a plan,” Schmidt said. He suggested that if he were a citizen of Somerset he would want to know why, because it would be a commission that would come up with a form of government and voters in the city and county who would eventually decide if a united government is what they want, Schmidt responded.
Somerset has rejected a unified government and refused to participate in financing the $35,000 study. From the onset of the study, Girdler and Somerset City Council have strongly opposed the idea of merged governments and directed the city’s legal department to get whatever help is necessary to protect the integrity of its boundaries.
The $35,000 cost of the study was initially suggested to be paid with a third of the money from Somerset, a third from Pulaski County government and a third to be paid by Somerset-Pulaski County United members. Pulaski Fiscal Court greeted the request more warmly and granted $11,667 to pay its share of the cost of the study. Two thirds of the cost apparently will be paid with contributions from members of Somerset-Pulaski County United (SPCU).
SPCU, chaired by developer Brook Ping and composed of more than 80 of the county’s movers and shakers, has made it clear from the start it is not advocating merged governments, only a study to determine the feasibility.
The completed study, if favorable toward a unified city-county government, would be presented to local governmental bodies. Eubank, because its corporate limits straddles the Pulaski-Lincoln county line, would not be eligible to be a part of a merged city-county government, according to state law.
Upon receipt of the completed study, according to state law, Pulaski Fiscal Court, Somerset City Council and governing bodies of Burnside, Ferguson and Science Hill by ordinance would create an official Unified Government Commission made up of between 20 and 40 members to plan a structure for a unified city-county government. With Somerset and Ferguson not participating, the answer is not clear as to how the process will unfold.
 Pulaski Fiscal Court would appoint half the members of a Unified Government Commission and the remaining members would be appointed by participating cities prorated on population. Any type of merged governments must be approved by voters of Pulaski County.
Schmidt say he hopes to have the study completed by the end of September.

– See more at: http://somerset-kentucky.com/newslive/x1664882430/-Unified-government-group-wants-Somerset-s-organizational-financial-data#sthash.NohNiTvl.dpuf

Filed Under: 2013, Consolidated (Metro) Community Government News, Latest News Tagged With: consolidated government, luke schmidt, pulaski county, somerset, somerset - pulaski county united, Unification, Unified government

May 24, 2013 By Luke Schmidt

Study for new unified government is underway (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal

Article originally posted to Commonwealth Journal Web site http://somerset-kentucky.com/local/x1374700982/Study-for-unified-government-is-now-underway

By CHRIS HARRIS, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal       Fri May 24, 2013, 06:38 PM EDT

Somerset —

The next step toward a potential merged city-county government is now in progress, as work has begun on the key feasibility study that will determine whether or not citizens could benefit from such a development.
The organization responsible for the move to look at a unified government, Somerset-Pulaski County United (SPCU), announced Friday that efforts to conduct the study have started and are ongoing.
“We’re glad to get this study underway as we believe that we will learn a lot about how our local government jurisdictions function today,” said Brook Ping, SPCU chairman. “At the same time, we want to learn more about unified government – how it operates – and see if there are any benefits to introducing this concept to Pulaski County.”
The study is being funded by a grant from Pulaski County Fiscal Court and by the members of SPCU. It’s expected to take about four months to complete.
In April, SPCU introduced its plan to conduct a study that would attempt to measure the possible benefits of combing Pulaski County Government with the individual city governments: Somerset, Burnside, or any such municipality that would opt in.
If the study turned up positive results, the county’s citizens would have the chance to vote on whether or not to go through with the unified government proposal.
Under the plan, Pulaski Fiscal Court would appoint half the members of a Unified Government Commission, and the remaining members would be appointed by participating cities prorated on population.
Under state law, a unified government would not affect school districts, existing taxing districts in the county, or local option areas. It would not alter boundaries of precincts and legislative districts. Unified government, if approved by voters, would vacate current political positions and establish a new governing structure.
A new Somerset-Pulaski County unified government would create Kentucky’s third largest city with a population of 63,700. It would be the first unified government of its kind in Kentucky. Metro governments in Louisville and Lexington were created under different statutes, although in principle the way they operate would be similar to a merged government here.
“The members of SPCU want to make it very clear: we are not endorsing unified government at this time,” said Ping. “We need to learn more about it first so that we will feel comfortable in the end with whatever recommendations that we might bring to the community.”
The plan met with different reactions from some of the key figures involved. When SPCU approached the Somerset City Council to ask for assistance funding the study — expected to cost about $35,000 — they were rebuffed by Mayor Eddie Girdler.
The Pulaski County Fiscal Court, however — headed up by Judge-Executive Barty Bullock — agreed to chip in the requested $11,667 during a late April meeting and proved more receptive to SPCU’s message.
“This study will provide invaluable information and data to the entire community,” said Bullock. “We want to learn more about this to see if unified government makes sense for the community.”
 The study will include detailed interviews with elected officials and key staff in each of the county’s incorporated cities, along with those in county government.
“This study will not merge local governments.  The study is merely one of many steps that the community may elect to take towards unified government,” said Luke Schmidt, consultant to SPCU from the firm L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC. “In the end, only the voters can decide if the local government jurisdictions should merge, and they will do so only if a formal plan (charter) of unified government is developed by an officially sanctioned Unified Government Commission and presents its plan to the voters.
“The study simply provides all parties with the information that will be needed to make informed decisions,” he added.
SPCU’s members represent all segments of the community: agriculture, business and industry, education, elected officials, health care, industry, law enforcement and public safety, professionals, religion and transportation.
Schmidt will be contacting local officials soon in order to start the examination of the local government jurisdictions, according to a statement released Friday by SPCU.
“We look forward to sharing all of the findings with the community as soon as the study has been completed,” said Ping.

– See more at: http://somerset-kentucky.com/local/x1374700982/Study-for-unified-government-is-now-underway#sthash.v3tlne6a.dpuf

Filed Under: 2013, Consolidated (Metro) Community Government News, Latest News Tagged With: consolidated government, luke schmidt, somerset - pulaski county united, Unified government

April 4, 2013 By admin

Proposed merger of Somerset, Pulaski would produce state’s third largest city Lexington Herald-Leader

Article was originally posted to Lexington Herald-Leader Web site http://www.kentucky.com/2013/04/04/2586569/merger-of-somerset-and-pulaski.html

By Greg Kocher — gkocher1@herald-leader.com
SOMERSET — With fewer than 12,000 residents, Somerset ranks 33rd in population in Kentucky. But if the city plus three others — Ferguson, Science Hill and Burnside — consolidates with Pulaski County into one government representing more than 63,000 residents, it would rank as the third-largest in the state, behind only Louisville and Lexington.
On Thursday, a newly formed group announced that it will seek funding for a study to look at the pros and cons of merging Pulaski County and the four municipal governments.
Somerset-Pulaski County United, a group of 56 residents representing a cross-section of the community, said they will approach Pulaski Fiscal Court and Somerset City Council next week to seek help in financing the study.
How far this effort will go is unknown, and members of the steering group acknowledged that efforts to consolidate governments elsewhere in Kentucky were defeated at the ballot box.
Nevertheless, state Sen. Chris Girdler, R-Somerset, said “the time is now” to study the issue of consolidated government.
“I believe some form of unified government can make this community stronger and a better place to live,” Girdler said. “However, it is imperative that we have more information so that we can make an informed decision.
“We live in a global marketplace, and we want to do everything we can to give Pulaski County a competitive advantage,” Girdler said.
A merged community of more than 63,000 people might attract more attention from businesses and industries and could bring more jobs to the area, Girdler said.
It also would give the community one voice and make it easier to seek grants and appropriations in Frankfort and Washington, D.C.
Moving from “micropolitan” to “metropolitan” status would enhance the community’s job-creation efforts and would create new opportunities for state and federal grants to help the community as a whole.
Some researchers have questioned whether a merger delivers significant savings. Studies of Jacksonville, Fla.’s consolidation with Duval County and of Miami’s merger with Dade County found that costs actually rose post-consolidation “as new bureaucracies emerged,” the Wall Street Journal reported in 2011. The paper also cited a 2004 study by Indiana University’s Center for Urban Policy and the Environment that found that costs creep back in and offset the savings of job cuts.
Material given to reporters Thursday by Somerset-Pulaski County United acknowledged that “while unified government may not save money, it will spend money more efficiently and help to hold down the rising cost of providing government services.
“Somerset-Pulaski County United is raising private contributions for one-third of the study’s $35,000 cost, said Brook Ping, a local developer and chairman of the group. The city and the county will be asked to contribute $11,600 each.
The cities of Burnside, Ferguson and Science Hill have been informed about the effort and could theoretically merge with Somerset and Pulaski County. The city of Eubank probably won’t be allowed to merge because it straddles the Pulaski-Lincoln line. Although a city can cross county lines, a merged government cannot under state law.
Ping emphasized that conducting a study does not mean that any local governments are consolidating. Under Kentucky law, only voters can determine whether local governments should merge.
Lexington and Louisville are the only merged city-county governments in Kentucky. Lexington voters approved merger in 1972; Louisville voters, in 2000. But voters rejected merger proposals in Franklin and Scott counties in 1988, in Daviess and Warren counties in 1990, in Taylor County in 2002, in Franklin County again in 2004, and in McCracken County in 2012.
The SPCU has a proposal from L.B. Schmidt & Associates LLC, a Louisville consulting firm, to conduct the study, which would compare existing forms of government to a unified government. The study would look at other cities across the country that have consolidated, including Lexington and Louisville.
The study would take about four months. The Schmidt firm would then present its findings to the community and make a recommendation on whether to pursue a unified government.
If the community decides to pursue a merger, the mayor and county judge-executive would jointly determine the size of a unified government commission, which would have 20 to 40 members.
That commission would develop a legal plan of unified government within two years of the commission’s appointment. If a majority of the members were unable to agree on a plan for unification within two years, the commission would dissolve.
If, on the other hand, the commission came up with a plan, it would hold public hearings to address questions from residents.
After its final public hearing, the commission would vote on the proposed plan and then submit it to voters. If the unification plan were rejected by voters, another vote could not be held for five years.
Somerset Mayor Eddie Girdler and Pulaski County Judge-Executive Barty Bullock were out of town Thursday could not be immediately reached for comment.
Greg Kocher: (859) 231-3305 Twitter: @HLpublicsafety.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/04/04/2586569/merger-of-somerset-and-pulaski.html#storylink=cpy

Filed Under: 2013, Consolidated (Metro) Community Government News, Latest News Tagged With: consolidated government, luke schmidt, somerset - pulaski county united, Unified government

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