(Arnolds Park)– Consolidation of governmental services was the topic of discussion at the Dickinson County Taxpayer Association’s annual meeting.
Lance Noe, a consultant working on consolidating Polk county and the city of Des Moines, says there’s a lot that needs to be carefully considered when talking about a merger. He says citizens are mostly concerned about losing representation. Noe says those people need to be assurred they’ll still have some say over their destiny. He says that issue can be addressed by districting and how membership is selected for an elected leadership council; and how issues such as zoning are handled. In the case of Dickinson county where each city has its own zoning regulations, Noe recommends leaving that issue out of any merger discussions.
Noe says Dickinson county’s growth in population makes it a good candidate for merging governments.
John Shanafeld, President of the Dickinson County Taxpayer’s Association, says the group hasn’t taken an official stance on governmental mergers. But he says they feel it’s definitely food for thought.
