About Community Collaboration Work Group

The Community Collaboration Work Group (CCWG) was established in November 2011 as a subgroup of the Collaboration/Cooperation Subcommittee of the Kent County Board of Commissioners. Members of this work group include representatives from the Kent County Board of Commissioners, Grand Rapids City Commission, Kent County townships, Kent County cities, the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, The Right Place, Inc., and the Non-Profit sector, plus experts in constitutional/municipal law and economics. The work group was given the following charge:

To determine (i) the best means to achieve effective and efficient government, and (ii) whether collaborative and/or consolidation efforts will help accomplish those goals for the citizens of Kent County. The subcommittee should consider what efforts have worked in the past, what opportunities are present today, and what consequences (good and bad) are likely to result.

To identify, evaluate and recommend opportunities for collaboration and consolidation of public services.

While the municipalities located in Kent County are, by all accounts, far ahead of other areas in Michigan in this area, the belief is that additional opportunities may exist and should be explored.

The 13-member group has been meeting regularly since January 2012. The Work Group spent time:

• Reviewing and understanding the general functions of historical underpinnings of our local government and understanding why Michigan local government is organized the way it is;
• Reviewing the major functions and services provided by cities, townships, and counties (judicial, community health, public safety, public infrastructure, parks and recreation, taxation, property assessment, clerking functions, administration, etc.), and determining what functions might overlap and where opportunities may exist for collaborative efforts or even consolidation; and
• Considering what other models of governance are in existence in other areas of the County, and evaluating the success of those models.

From this study, the Work Group developed a simple but effective test to consider any proposal for change: will one of the three C’s (collaboration, cooperation, or consolidation) bring about the three E’s efficiency and effectiveness in government, and economic development opportunities for the region).