This Wisconsin State Journal editorial argues for more cooperation between local units of government in order to save money and improve service delivery.
 
Click here to read the editorial.

Presentation 3: "Local Government Collaboration in Energy Planning"
 
View the recording
 
The third presentation in the 2012 LGI web presentation series focused on collaborative initiatives in energy planning. The presentation featured two speakers who shared their experiences with energy planning efforts aimed at making energy systems more efficient and sustainable.
 

The Ohio Governor's Office of 21st Century Education, in partnership with the Ohio Office of Budget and Management, have recently completed the study Beyond Boundaries: A Shared Services Action Plan for Ohio Schools and Governments.  The study included a survey of government entities and leadership to determine the current state of shared services in Ohio.  The plan serves as a "roadmap" for furthering collaborative approaches to delivering necessary services, increasing efficiency and service delivery, and reducing costs.
 

From UW-Extension:
 
Energy on Wisconsin, a collaboration of the State Energy Office and UW-Extension, will host quarterly gatherings of Energy Independent Communities (EIC) and other municipalities and school districts interested in sustaiinable energy programming. The sessions are designed to promote networking and learning from each other.  Each of the gatherings will include a case study of the host area energy and sustainability programs and projects, sharing between attendees, information/training about the topic session, funding opportunities and strategies for that topic, and a tour, event or both.  Meetings will be held in different regions around the state to promote participation.
 
Schedule:
 
Session 1: April 20, 2012, Evansville, WI

• Topic: Community Education and Outreach

Session 2: July 18, 2012, Ashland, WI

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), in partnership with the Surdna Foundation, is offering technical assistance services over the next 12 months to local governments and other local stakeholders around the U.S. on energy efficiency policy and program implementation.

The Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia Federal Reserve recently discussed their research on older industrial cities, with a particular focus on smaller cities. The research centered on the following questions:

According to the Wisconsin Counties Association, Brown County has successfully implemented more than 20 business process improvement events in 14 different departments during the first three years of implementation of its Lean Management initiative.
 
For a copy of the Spring 2012 Brown County Lean Newsletter, click here.
 
For more information on Brown County's Lean Management initiative, click here.

The Urban Land Institute recently announced the release of the Infrastructure 2012 report, prepared in conjunction with Ernst and Young, which found that constrained budgets and a growing recognition of the importance of infrastructure has led many state, regional, and local governments in the United States to adopt innovative strategies to fund, plan for, build, and manage infrastructure. 
 
For more information on the report, click here.
 
To view a copy of the Infrastructure 2012 report, click here.

Webinar 2: "Efficiency and Equity in Water and Wastewater Services: Consolidation and Revenue Sharing Case Studies"
 
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 12:00 pm
 
Click here to register
 
Click here for more information