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| "Centers for Regional Excellence" to Encourage Collaboration Between Local Governments
Contact:
Heidi Hansen 517-335-6397
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October 11, 2005
LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced a plan to encourage
collaboration and resource sharing among local governments. The Centers for Regional
Excellence (CRE) program (http://www.michigan.gov/cre) will help communities work together to share services,
agencies, equipment, and employees in order to streamline government and save
taxpayer money. Granholm announced that the state is seeking proposals from community
partnerships interested in obtaining a “Center of Excellence” designation
and a grant to support their collaboration efforts.
Granholm pointed to examples of neighboring communities sharing public safety
dispatch, transportation authorities, and payroll systems as examples of ways
that local governments are spending taxpayer dollars more effectively through
collaboration.
“We have to get the most out of every taxpayer dollar at every level of
government,” said Granholm. “We must look beyond traditional local
turf politics to find creative ways to work together to make government better
and less expensive. I applaud the efforts of local leadership to improve efficiency
and services through cooperation.”
The CRE program will provide grants of up to $25,000 over two years to encourage
the coordination and combining of services. Grants will be awarded to five pilot
communities that demonstrate a commitment and a plan to improve services through
collaboration. The grants will be funded through existing community development
dollars at the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). As CRE pilots,
selected communities will also receive access to information from other communities
that have already saved dollars through collaborative programs and to university-level
facilitators and researchers to assist in developing service-sharing programs.
Many Michigan communities have already formed regional coalitions to provide more
cost-effective services as well as to plan for land use and other shared concerns.
CRE will promote new and creative ways to collaborate and help communities get
the most out of their resources.
A committee of representatives from the Department of Labor and Economic Growth,
MSHDA, and several Michigan universities will review submitted proposals and make
recommendations for the five pilot CREs. Proposals are due December 14, 2005.
Applicants must include a statement of support for collaborative projects from
participating governmental units and community partners along with a statement
of proposed collaborative activities/projects. Proposals must also include information
regarding how pilot funds will be supported by local, in-kind matching investments
and a description of how progress will be measured. Priority will be given to
projects with a greater variety and number of governmental organizations involved
in collaboration, likelihood of success and support of community stakeholders.
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