City Council Approves Proclamation
for Local Government Week

The Hazelwood City Council recently approved a proclamation declaring the week of May 1-7, 2011, as "Local Government Week." This is the second annual observance of this statewide initiative created by the Missouri Municipal League to raise awareness of and celebrate the important role city government plays in our lives.

"We encourage our residents to get more involved in their local government and gain a better understanding of how essential community services such as police and fire protection, street maintenance and code enforcement are provided for everyone living in Hazelwood," said Mayor Matthew Robinson, City of Hazelwood. "The continued success of our local government in meeting the needs of our citizens is a key element in maintaining the overall quality of life in our city."

Mayor Robinsonn was one of 14 other mayors who gathered to show their support at a kick-off event for St. Louis County Municipal League's 2011 "Year of the Cities" campaign earlier this year. The goal of this program is to better communicate the essential services that municipalities provide their constituents, as well as encouraging all 91 municipalities in St. Louis County to find ways of sharing best practices and performance measurements in order to increase efficiencies and cost savings.

Just because cities operate as independent entities doesn't mean that they all ignore each other. Many of them are finding ways to collaborate for the betterment of all.

With the economic downturn, sales tax revenue has dropped 9 percent overall in the county. Many municipalities are resorting to collaboration and partnerships with their neighbors in order to stretch existing revenue and maintain their level of resident services. Some of them are coordinating purchases of street salt and fuel in order to get volume discounts. Others are joining insurance pools, as well as sharing employee training expenses and recreational facilities to show residents their commitment to fiscal responsibility.

"It makes sense to look for ways where we can partner with neighboring communities on projects in order to share expenses and save the city some money. Not only does this demonstrate that we're good stewards of taxpayer dollars, but also it illustrates our ability to think outside the box and to come up with improvements to existing programs," Robinson noted.

A good example of a partnership formed between Hazelwood and Berkeley is a federally funded project to fix Hazelwood Avenue, which is a roadway heavily used by semi-trucks in an industrial area. The City of Hazelwood awarded a contract to Millstone Bangert, Inc., for road improvements to be done on this street that runs through both communities at a cost of $1.3 million. The work involves applying new concrete from Pershall Road to Frost Avenue. Estimated finish date is September 1.

In addition, Hazelwood is looking at taking more of a regional approach with neighboring communities on issues related to recycling, street landscaping and other infrastructure projects.  It also contracts with St. Louis County for code enforcement on plumbing and electricity.

Most cities are proud of their individuality, but realize the collective power they have coming together to deal with regional issues that affect all citizens living in St. Louis County. In recent years, area communities have worked together on significant issues ranging from smoking bans to supporting Metro, and the I-64 renovation to green initiatives. The most recent accomplishment is voter approval of the new E911 communication system, a campaign led by former Town & Country Mayor and County Councilman Skip Mange and Webster Groves Mayor Gerry Welch.

According to Rich Magee, President of the St. Louis County Municipal League and Mayor of Glendale, "Our diversity is our asset, and our connection to residents and businesses is the bedrock of sound policymaking."