The bill, which passed the state Senate by a vote of 33 to 3, now goes to the House of Representatives and then to the governor for action. I am hopeful that the governor will see just how important this bill is. Senate Bill 1040, An Act Authorizing Municipalities to Jointly Perform Municipal Functions, would result in a potential savings to municipalities. The level of savings would depend upon the function that were jointly performed and the number of municipalities involved.
Current law allows municipalities to perform only certain functions jointly.
In a number of cases, it requires them to form interlocal advisory boards. Designate interlocal employees, and take other steps in order to do so. Municipalities can also make agreements to share real and personal property tax revenue. Now there will be no question about buying insurance together or electricity jointly. By pooling our efforts we will certainly be able cover some of the increased costs for essential programs.