|
Posted: 8:52 PM Sep 16, 2008
Metro Government a Success in Louisville
A couple of weeks ago Kanawha County leaders traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to get a glimpse of metro government. Reporter: Will JonesEmail Address: Will.Jones@wsaz.com |
|
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WSAZ) -- A couple of weeks ago Kanawha County leaders traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to get a glimpse of metro government.
It's still unclear how metro government would work in Kanawha County, but the goal is to make government more efficient.
Metro leaders in Louisville say it's working there and it could have the same benefits here, but it wasn’t easy to get the process started.
It took four votes before metro government became a reality in Louisville, and Mayor Jerry Abramson says that vote ended the long-standing battle between the city and the county.
"For years we spent a lot of time fighting city against county, wasting time, we finally decided it was a more efficient way to deliver local services," the Mayor said.
When Jefferson County and Louisville formed one regional government in 2003 nearly a thousand jobs were eliminated.
Most of those positions were vacant, only 125 people lost their jobs.
"How many directors of finance do you have, the county had one and the city had one, now we have just one," the Mayor said.
Metro leaders say the one government, one voice approach is helping economic development.
Mayor Abramson says, "When we get a group to decide to bring their operation to Louisville they have said what a pleasure it is to work with one person in charge, one government set of regulations."
The merger also brought about a change in crime fighting.
Jefferson County and Louisville Police Departments formed one big police agency, The Louisville Metro Police Department.
Police Chief Robert White says the combined department is much more efficient, "We were able to erase the lines of the county versus the city. Now we are just one metropolitan department and permitted to allocate our resources much more efficiently."
Efficient is a word heard all too often from metro leaders, but they say it's not just talk, it's about action.
Metro government is not a done deal in Kanawha County voters will have to approve it.
County Commissioner Kent Carper says it could be on the ballot as early as 2010.
|
Popular Searches Powered by Local.com |
- Senate's magic number in health care battle: 60
- Rape victim's parents charged
- Large Hadron Collider back online
- Sri Lanka to release 130,000 Tamils
- Arrests in Italy linked to Mumbai attacks
- Hospital hearing set for Hasan
- Prosecutor: Knox resented roommate
- H1N1 cases down; vaccine access up
- Plea deal reached in Wal-Mart trial
- Fans mourn end of 'Oprah' show
- Students hold buildings in protest
- CDC: H1N1 cases down, vaccine availability up
- Charge against Blackwater guard dropped
- Oprah ending talk show in 2011
- 'Summers were the worst,' says woman in sex abuse case
- Senate vote next step on what could be a long road for health care
- Attorney: Fort Hood suspect to be held in hospital
- Burned Florida teen having skin graft surgery
- New cervical cancer screening guidelines released
- Ex-U.S. official, wife to plead guilty in Cuba spy case
- Prosecutor: Knox taunted, killed victim
- Pope to meet Anglican leader amid tensions
- Scores missing after China mine blast
- Bacteria prompts nasal spray recall in U.S., Europe
- Blind students sing upon school supplies' arrival
- Peru: Arrests made in ring that sold human fat
- Right-wing activists storm TV station over 'bias'
- Football fever turns nasty in Cairo
- Man who killed wife while dreaming is released
- Police find body, 3 rifles after Saipan shooting spree
- Prosecutor: Knox tortured roommate
- Parents of 8-year-old rape victim charged with abuse
- Florida men sentenced for plotting terror attacks
- Wal-Mart line jumper to plead guilty to resisting arrest
- 'Summers were the worst,' Mohler family accuser says
- Burned Florida teen having skin graft surgery
- Hospital hearing sought for Fort Hood suspect
- Man faces murder charge in Shaniya Davis case
- Suspects sold fat harvested from corpses, authorities say
- Police: Suspect in Arkansas slayings killed in shootout
- Scrutiny for cancer screenings
- Can your doctor spot H1N1?
- Purpose found after loved ones' suicides
- CDC: H1N1 cases down, vaccine availability grows
- 'I want my mammograms!'
- What to expect in Saturday health care vote
- New cervical cancer screening guidelines released
- Vicks nasal spray recalled over bacteria
- Two men reflect national divide over health reform
- HIV+ soccer team scores against stigma
- Michigan-Ohio State and more Saturday Storylines
- Predictions for Michigan-Ohio St. and more
- Seth Davis: Syracuse will go as far as the once-reluctant Johnson carries it
- Hawks soar to league-best 11-2 on Smith's tip-in
- No. 6 Boise St. rips Utah St. to stay in BCS chase
- LeBron drops 40 as Cavs pull away from Pacers
- Death of Brees' mother ruled a suicide
- Carter's big 4th quarter carries Magic past Celtics
- Giants LB Pierce out indefinitely with neck injury
- Knicks decide against signing free-agent Iverson
- Miley Cyrus Tour Bus Overturns in Va., Killing 1
- South Charleston Police Seek 2 Teens in Connection with 'Gruesome' Murder
- Hundreds Greet Miles Ferguson on Return Home to Portsmouth
- Ambulance Crashes while En Route to Accident, 3 Hurt
- Child Hit By Bus in Front of School
- UPDATE: I-64 Crash Sends One Person to the Hospital
- Oprah Winfrey to Announce Friday Show will End in 2011
- Man Accused of Shooting His Teenage Daughter Indicted
- One Dead in Boyd County Crash, Name Released
- HS Football Playoff Scores (11/20)
- Hundreds Greet Miles Ferguson on Return Home to Portsmouth
602 Comments - One Dead in Boyd County Crash, Name Released
54 Comments - Huntington City Council Members Discuss Violence in Downtown Bars
30 Comments - MCTC Picks New Name, Initials Remain the Same
20 Comments - UPDATE: Two Arrested in Double Carter County Murder
17 Comments - Miley Cyrus Tour Bus Overturns in Va., Killing 1
16 Comments
![]() |
| PHONE IN YOUR YELLS TO: 1-866-616-5354 |
![]() |
Full 2010 Olympic coverage from the WSAZ Olympic Zone. Coverage begins Friday, Feb. 12, at 7:30p with the Opening Ceremony on WSAZ |
![]() |
A glittering holiday show full of fun and surprises for the whole family! Children thrill as Santa takes them on a magical ride to his workshop. |
![]() |
Healthy Connections Find a local health professional |
![]() |
A collection of resources here to help Moms weather the daily storms that come along with parenting. |
| SOMC Very good things are happening here |
|
| WV Lottery Nightly drawings and numbers |
|
| Big Sandy For all your furniture and appliance needs |
|
| Healthy Tri-State Tips to live a healthier lifestyle |





