2008 Road to Excellence Conference

Putting Intergovernmental Cooperation to Work: Employing Multi-municipal Planning to Link Comunities and Conserve Costs

Intermunicipal cooperation takes a variety of forms throughout PA, and the recent 2008 Road to Excellence Conference honed in on an area in which it is most important: land use planning.

Development patterns of the last 20 years has resulted in the spreading of residential, commercial, and office development over a wide auto-dependant area. A significant consequence of this trend is to largely separate where people live and where people work. In an era of rising fuel costs, this produces a dilemma for both employers and employees.

Local governments have a key role in responding to this situation. By moving from existing systems of intergovernmental cooperation to vital systems of intergovernmental coordination, local governments can help citizens save money, improve the quality of life and shore up their municipal budgets.

Sponsored by Comcast and in partnership with Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, the 2008 Road to Excellence Conference focused on access to employment, multi-municipal planning, developments of regional impact and tools currently available that expand intermunicip

Ron Painter

al coordination.

Ron explained the classic economic equation of land+labor+capital = the cost of our doing business. Ron said that in this age, talent, or human capital, is the most important part of the equation. Companies search for talent, making the location where they choose to do business very important. Therefore, it is important for Pennsylvania and the southwest Pennsylvania region to educate, train, and retrain our labor force. Ron noted that PA commits about $20 million of general revenue dollars for incumbent worker training, making the state a national leader in talent development.

Listen to Ron note that the southwest PA region has more people over the age of 65 and less under the age of 18 than the benchmark city average, which are those cities with comparable industries to southwest PA

The aging of the workforce in the region is also important. The region has more people over the age of 65 and less under the age of 18 than the benchmark city average. Benchmark cities are those that have similar industries as southwest PA. These regions compete with southwest PA for talented workers as well as industry and development.

Click to hear Ron explain that the migration of workers in, out, and within the region affects the region's ability to retain workers, especially younger workers

Ron reminded participants that a major issue for PA and the region is workforce retention, particularly the retention of younger workers. Migration in, out, and within the region affects workforce retention. People within the region tend to stay in one neighborhood for long periods of time, but more people are leaving than coming into the region. Ron explained that people, especially younger people, like the density of cities, and that Pittsburgh needs to consider density in all of the development decisions we make. He also reminded participants that 40% of the PhDs and scientists working in the U.S. are foreign-born, and that immigration is important to workforce development. The United States and PA needs to compete internationally as well as domestically for the most talented workers.

Listen to Ron speak about the consequences of sprawl and spatial mismatch, explaining that available jobs are not always located where the workers who would fill those jobs actually live, making commuting difficult, expensive, and nearly impossible for some workers

Ron explained that suburbanization and decentralization of job sites leads to urban sprawl, where more land is being consumed for development and existing jobs may be moved around the region instead of new jobs coming in. The region will be better off if more people are coming in and more net jobs are created. Ron asked the question, "Where is the work, and where is the worker?” People are commuting out of their home communities for work because the jobs that exist there often do not match the skills, education, and salary requirements of the residents. This decreases quality of life by adding to traffic congestion, because suburban jobs are spread along major transportation corridors. This can necessitate having a workforce that drives, making hiring and retaining workers more difficult in these areas. This phenomenon is called “spatial mismatch”, where the jobs that many low-income workers would fill are located in the suburbs, far from their homes in the urban core. This makes commuting difficult and expensive for many workers. Pittsburgh, however, is a city that has a high number of jobs in the city, in fact, the count is higher than many comparable cities.

Click to hear Ron explain how intergovernmental cooperation can be used to create of good jobs, improve access to these jobs through infrastructure and multi-modal transportation, and create affordable housing

Addressing the mismatch between “where is the work and where is the worker” involves intergovernmental cooperation for the creation of good jobs, improved access to these jobs through infrastructure and multi-modal transportation, and affordable housing. Many low-income workers do not drive and rely on public transportation, which is a major problem for suburban employers who cannot attract these workers. Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board can help with economic development project assessment, so that communities can minimize spatial mismatch.

Court Gould, Executive Director of Sustainable Pittsburgh, spoke about the role of municipal governments in the sustainability of communities. Court defined sustainable community development, and explained that the ways in which local governments can use these practices to respond to economic and social changes. This will determine the quality of life in a community and enable it to save tax dollars.

//Click to hear Court Gould, Executive Director of Sustainable Pittsburgh, define the principles of sustainability and what makes sustainable community development//
Court explained that sustainability is a process that is continuously adapting and changing to better maximize economy, environment, and equity at the systems level, which speaks to the need for regional coordination. Court said that the sprawling land-use patterns that have been traditionally used in the region are not cost-effective and contribute to the growing social inequity in the region. The challenge of sustainability is where we should more effectively use our community assets and avoid the costs of poor planning to the region.
Listen as Court explains how the Municipalities Planning Code and its amendments allowed for multi-municipal planning, which provided a tool for municipalities to work towards sustainable community development
Multi-municipal comprehensive land-use planning within the framework of sustainability and coordination of issues should not be thought of as conflicting with the state of Pennsylvania or the region's local control, because multi-municipal planning respects both. The Municipalities Planning Code does not explicitly mention sustainability, but Court noted that it references sustainable concepts enabling municipalities to adopt comprehensive plans and zoning ordinances, for example. Acts 67 and 68 of 2000 authorized multi-municipal planning, and allowed for traditional neighborhood development. Court explained that the Municipalities Planning Code and its amendments enabled multi-municipal planning to be undertaken, providing a tool for working towards sustainable development in the "bricks and mortar sense”, but also through the idea of the coordination of services across boundaries.
Click to hear Court present a case study of Cranberry Township to explain some resources that municipalities can use to incorporate sustainability principles into their planning
Court responded to a question on incorporating sustainability principles in planning and the resources that could help municipalities with this. The question was posed by Alex Graziani of the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County. Court explained how Sustainable Pittsburgh assisted Cranberry Township in comprehensive planning for a sustainable community. Cranberry learned how to use the principles of sustainability as a framework for their comprehensive plan. Experts on sustainability assessed the municipal operations and conducted an “extreme sustainability makeover”, recommending how Cranberry could conserve resources, become more equitable, and save costs. Alex also asked how municipalities like Cranberry can get assistance for sustainability planning. Court confirmed that Cranberry used state funds, and he mentioned that the hiring of sustainability coordinators is a route that corporations in Pittsburgh have taken to become more sustainable.

Allen Kukovich, Director of the Governor’s Southwest PA Regional Office, gave a progress report on multi-municipal planning in the region. Allen also explained the benefits of multi-municipal planning, and highlighted the state’s priorities relating to planning.

The Honorable William Currin, Mayor of Hudson, Ohio, explained how Northeast Ohio is promoting regional planning. Mayor Currin started by proclaiming that our region has promise if we, as elected officials, professional managers and government employees, and community leaders, set the necessary policies for cooperation. Mayor Currin noted that businesses are attracted to areas with more efficient governments, and explained his hope for having a sustainable, collaborative economic development plan in place in Northeast Ohio by the end of next year. He reminded participants that planning is very important before embarking on revenue-sharing programs and collaborative projects. Next, Mayor Currin explained the role of the Northeast Ohio Mayors and City Managers Association in promoting regionalism in the region.
Click here to listen to Mayor Currin explain Northeast Ohio's pursuit of regional planning and how the region is working towards a tax-base sharing plan. Mayor Currin also identifies the role of the Northeast Ohio Mayors and City Managers Association in the program
Mayor Currin explained that the Fund for Economic Future was formed in 2004 by some philanthropic organizations in Northeast Ohio to strengthen the region's competitiveness through research. In 2005, the main issues that regional leaders identified in Northeastern Ohio were similar to Southwest PA. Territorialism, regional governance, competition between local governments for the same businesses, and spatial mismatch were major issues. The Advance Northeast Ohio initiative, involving over 20,000 people, identified the number one issue as government collaboration and efficiency. The phase one study resulted in an action plan to implement region-wide land-use planning and revenue-sharing in the region. Currin quoted an MIT economist, saying that the economic unit of the 21st century is the region, not cities.
Click here to listen to Mayor Currin explain the similarities between the issues that Northeast Ohio and Southwest PA deal with, such as fragmentation, and how the Advance Northeast Ohio initiative created a region-wide land-use planning and revenue-sharing plan
Mayor Currin suggested that Northeast Ohio needs to form one Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), as Southwestern PA has in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. He would also like to see the region minimalize environmental degradation and regionally manage stormwater, to name a few strategies. He said that citizens need to be informed and mobilized, because the greatest things accomplished in this society are started at the grassroots level. Currin even asked participants to envision the competitiveness of a Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh region that could be formed one day.
Listen to Mayor Currin present strategies for Northeast Ohio into the future

The 2008 Road to Excellence Conference closed with a panel discussion on handling the costs and consequences of developments that have regional impact. Panelists identified the criteria of developments of regional impact, and discussed the use of tools such as Transfer of Development Rights to enhance the ability of local governments to respond to developers in their communities.

Phil Klotz, professional planner for the Pennsylvania Local Government Commission, explained the origins of the term “development of regional impact” and the state and federal laws that relate to it. Klotz referred to the Kilbuck Township Landslide Task Force and Advisory Committee Report, which resulted in a proposed Geologically Hazardous Areas Act, and the Proposed House Resolution 845 of 2008 to authorize the Joint State Government Committee Task Force/Advisory Committee to study developments of regional significance and impact. Klotz noted that the America Law Institute put out a document in 1976 that provides a definition and factors for determining DRIs which is still referred to today.

Blaine Lucas is the solicitor for several local governments and shareholder in the Public Sector Services and Business Services Groups of Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C Lucas spoke about DRSIs, or Developments of Regional Significance and Impact as they are referred to under Pennsylvania Law, and what “triggers” can be used to implement the DRSI process. According to Lucas, there are three ways to implement DRSIs in PA: a joint zoning ordinance, a joint municipal planning implementation agreement and consistent ordinance process, and finally, a loose, “volunteer” approach of “plugging it in when you can” into existing ordinances. The latter choice, Lucas notes, is voluntary, meaning it can always be changed. Lucas mentions some DRSI triggers, such as location near municipal boundary, use of publicly-owned sewage treatment facility, public or private school, public facilities, expansion of growth area or utility service area, etc. Many will engage in the Act 67 and 68 multi-municipal planning acts, but many do not implement their plans. Lucas recommends using the “loosest” form of implementing DRSIs, because if a plan is too binding, implementation will not be as likely. He reminded participants that there is a maximum of one review process for plans and that host communities have the final word, and a loose, less-restrictive process is better to have than no plan at all.

Denny Puko, planning program manager for the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services, called for municipal officials to see intergovernmental cooperation as an opportunity for strength through collaboration instead of a concession of individual control. Puko notes that we have the tools available to target DRSIs to specific locations supported by zoning.

John Theilacker, Associate Director for the Brandywine Conservancy Environmental Management Center, gave a presentation on how TDR, or Transfer Development Rights, can be a “win-win” situation on the local and multi-municipal levels through the creative use of zoning.

Susan Hockenberry, Executive Director of the Local Government Academy, summed up the lessons learned at the 2008 Road to Excellence Conference and gave an update on the latest enhancements to the LGA’s Multi-Municipal Planning Grant Program.