INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION:
How partnering with other municipalities can help you stretch your infrastructure budget dollars further
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As federal tax dollars for local governments continue to decline, municipal officials face tough questions regarding their ability to budget for badly needed infrastructure improvements. The answer to these questions, however, may be right next door –in the neighboring municipalities.

By partnering with other municipalities for planning initiatives, roadway improvements, stormwater management, and water and wastewater treatment, municipal officials can vastly improve the quality of service they provide to their residents while reducing the costs associated with these efforts. Moreover, they may increase their likelihood of receiving state grant money, which often gives higher priority to regional projects over those requested by individual boroughs and townships.

A 1994 study by the Penn State Cooperative Extension (in conjunction with the Pennsylvania State Associations of Boroughs, Township Supervisors, and Township Commissioners) found that four out of five of the municipalities that responded already cooperated on fire protection and 49 percent cooperated on wastewater treatment. Today those numbers continue to grow, and the applications for which cooperative efforts are used continue to expand.

Benefits of Intergovernmental Cooperation for Infrastructure
Type of Infrastructure Improvements Best Suited for Cooperation
Forming a Cooperative Arrangement

© 2008 Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc.