Cities brainstorm sharing services and saving money

Those of us in this business get a pretty good overview of local government at work day-to-day and one thing that has become increasingly clear in recent times: Given increasing demands for services and limited ways to raise money to pay for them, there is a growing need to consolidate and share those services to stretch public dollars.

So, it's refreshing to see officials in Grandview, Sunnyside and Prosser making a concentrated effort to do just that. During an exploratory meeting Monday, they looked at everything from buying fuel for police cars, running local jails, buying equipment and paying for lobbyists in Olympia.

The sharing concept is not new in the Valley, and is in fact encouraged by the Association of Washington Cities. Other cities contract with Sunnyside for jail space, while neighboring firefighting districts have mutual aid agreements. Certainly, parks and youth programs are quality of life issues in any community that would seem candidates for combined efforts.

What's new, and refreshing, about this latest effort is the summit-meeting approach where such sharing is explored as a matter of public policy.

Our small towns up and down the Valley are noted for their independence, but we've long wondered how long they can continue to afford their own police departments, jails, public works, etc. While it's doubtful consolidation of some of them will ever happen, at least the cooperative efforts loom as a cost-effective option.

We applaud these kinds of bootstrap initiatives. It's a common sense approach to good public policy, and on behalf of the public that stands to gain, we're hoping to see more of it.

YSO's Brooke Creswell devotes 40 years to bettering our lives

If someone were to be looking for the epitome of a community tradition, certainly Brooke Creswell's name would have to come to mind.

As the Yakima Symphony Orchestra enters its 2008-09 season Oct. 11, it's hard to believe that it will be the last one for Creswell as music director. After more than 40 years, he's turning the baton over to someone else.

He'll serve as artistic director during the 2009-10 season, which is good because it will allow a smooth transition to new leadership. An interesting twist during that season will be the finalists for succeeding him taking over director duties on the podium. That's auditioning with a purpose.

Creswell was the founding conductor of the Yakima Chamber Orchestra in 1967, which became the Yakima Symphony Orchestra in the 1971-72 season.

We talk a lot about quality of life and giving back to the community in these columns. Certainly, Booke Creswell as been a solid fit in both categories.

We wish him well in his future endeavors, but most of all on behalf of the community we thank him for a job so well done for so many years.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Sarah Jenkins, Bill Lee and Karen Troianello.

• The Classified Marketplace
• • Announcements
  • Public Notices
  • Legal Notices
  • Merchandise
  • Yard Sales
  • Animals
  • Finance

• Newspaper Ads
  View All