Municipalities working together can increase efficiency and effectiveness. Working together pools resources that you might otherwise not have when local governments go at it alone. Pennsylvania has the second largest number of governments in the nation. If you add all the municipal authorities and school districts in, we boost our rank to number one. And you all know, first hand, the challenges that presents at times in making government perform at its best for all the people it serves.
Competition is tougher.
The demand for services is greater. Funding sources are limited. That's why so many regions have broken down the walls of artificial political and geographic boundaries. That's why we see municipalities in the Lehigh Valley, southwest, northeast, southeast and northwest all involved in intergovernmental cooperation. Collaborative efforts build strength they need to stand tall in the arena of global competition.