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WE CAN DO BETTER

Onondaga County and its cities, townsand villages are at a crossroads. Thesize of government and the cost to

taxpayers keep growing while the taxbase falls and the business climateinhibits new development.

One thing is clear: the current path isunsustainable. The question: what needs

to be done and when should we do it?For the past 18 months, community,

business and political leaders havediscussed the best way to answer thisquestionto start finding the options

that could change our trajectory.

Local governments spend more than$100 million on redundant services.

There is an opportunity to reducegovernment spending by as muchas $20 million right now.

Taxpayers could save as much as

$200/year/household by servicesconsolidating.

20 out of 35 of our towns andvillages could be in a deficit inthe next decade.

Our public servants have anopportunity to lead us in the directionof a bold new vision for the Syracuse-Onondaga community. One that willmake our community even better and

more reflective of what we desire anddeserve. We can do better. The nextstep in that journey is here.

ECONOMIC GROWTH

Syracuse and Onondaga Countyshould be attractive to investmentand development. We have a strong,intelligent and productive workforce;

we are well situated in the heart of theNortheast; our real estate is affordableand our natural resources are abundant.

Yet, we continue to lag behind the stateand the nation. Our local governmentsmust work together as one community

to discover ways to drive faster

economic growth.

OPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Consensusthe Commission on LocalGovernment Modernizationwaslaunched in 2014. The commissions goalis to shape a vision for more effectiveand efficient governance acrossOnondaga County. Thousands of hoursof discussion, careful consideration andreview have resulted in the OptionsReport and Preliminary CommitteeRecommendations.

Consensus Focus Areas

Infrastructure

Public Safety

Municipal Operations

Economic Development

Governance

Public Engagement

CONSENSUS OPTIONS REPORT AND PRELIMINARYCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

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The report looks at successfulexamples of collaboration andinnovation that improved effi-ciency at all levels of government.The report also looks at whatopportunities exist to improve

service delivery through provenapproaches and best practices thatcould include:

Shared purchasing andtraining agreements

Shared maintenance andplanning of infrastructureand assets

Creation of centrally managedmetro authorities, agencies,

departments, and service areasAdoption of common

software and digitalrecordkeeping systems

Increased state assumptionof responsibility for publicbenefit programs

Consolidated city-countygovernance with opt-inprovisions for townsand villages

Increased attention tothe needs and voices ofour diverse communitiesand underrepresentedconstituencies

Relief from statutes andmandates that drive up cost andlimit government efficiency

Now, it is your turn. We need to

hear from you. What do you like?What dont you like? How wouldthe proposed changes affectyou or your community? Whatopportunities do you see?

What matters is not whetheryou support or oppose therecommendations, rather that youengage and help us determine thenext steps.

PUBLIC COMMENTMAKEYOUR VOICE HEARD

The Options Report wasreleased on Tuesday, January26. Public input will be accepteduntil Wednesday, March 16.To beeligible for consideration by thecommission, all comments, with

the exception of Facebook posts,must be submitted with the name;city, town or village of residence;

and email (if available) of theperson making the submission.

We seek input that is civil,constructive and respectful.Comments that include personalattacks, vulgar language or aredetermined to be inappropriate by

the commission will not be postedor considered.

All residents of Syracuse and

Onondaga County are encouragedto make their voices heard via anyof the forums below:

Public MeetingsA schedule is atConsensusComment.com.

Public LibrariesCopies of the Options Report areavailable at all Onondaga CountyPublic Library branches.

ConsensusComment.comAll website comments mustinclude the submitters name; city,

town or village of residence; and

email address. Comments postedon the website meeting thesecriteria will be public.

FacebookComments are being acceptedatwww.facebook.com/consensuscny. Commentsposted on Facebook will be public.

MailConsensus, c/o SYRACUSE 20/20120 Madison Street, 15th FloorSyracuse, NY 13202

Telephone and FaxVoice: (315) 470-1980Fax: (315) 476-1681

EmailSend to info@consensuscny.com.Include name and city, town or

village of residence of the personmaking the submission.

A Spanish language versionof the report is available atConsensusComment.com.

NEXT STEPS

The commission will review andconsider all public commentsand will issue its final recom-mendations in spring 2016.Recommendations will then besubject to review, approval andaction by the people of Syracuseand Onondaga County and local

government leaders.