The findings of the Institute's survey on local government collaborations suggest a region more internally connected than conventional wisdom implies. It is possible that only those jurisdictions positively inclined toward collaborations responded to the survey. If so, the findings, while still indicative of considerable intermunicipal and intersectoral alliances, are unrepresentative of Western New York jurisdictions as a whole. More likely, though, the survey reveals a reality of regional cooperation in this area that it is more extensive and significant than commonly granted.
Municipal collaborations represent both the reality and potential of regional cooperation.
They are an unheralded, but critical, component in making a region a good place to live and do business. The tradition and precedents represented by the collaborations described here suggest a sound basis for further collaborations of value to Western New Yorkers and their local governments. The Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth is committed to encouraging and supporting efforts such as those described in this survey. Both to expand the inventory of collaborative service agreements produced by the 1997 survey and to more accurately reflect the reality of cooperation and collaboration in Western New York, we invite municipal officials to inform us of changes and additions to the inventory as well as modifications to the list of municipal contacts. Comments on the survey, report, and findings are also welcome.