Chief
12-30-2007, 05:49 PM
Sent to me by my friends at www.Debunkingportland.com . Interesting reading. This is in Adobe Acrobat, but you may want to print out a copy to read...it's 46 pages.
<a href="http://www.clarkblog.org/docs/ims_bistatecoopdraftrept.pdf">Washington/Oregon Interstate Cooperation Project Draft Final Report</a>
“The resurgence of regionalism is due in part to the gradual devolution of federal responsibilities,
states’ mutual interest in better planning and communication, and the desire to improve state
management and programs.” (Chi, 59)
Local and state governments are responsible for providing a variety of services to their residents,
including the provision and management of physical infrastructure, public schools, safety and
emergency management, and management of natural resources. Many of these services can be
provided more efficiently and effectively if local governments work together to achieve the most
efficient scale, to leverage resources, and to share best practices.
In Oregon, some of this regional coordination is provided by Metro, the directly elected regional
government that serves Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. Metro, however, is a
creature of Oregon law and does not represent the citizens of Clark County, Washington. Thus,
Metro’s responsibilities for open space and parks, plans for land use and transportation, and
garbage disposal and recycling do not extend across the river to Clark County. In the absence of
this authority, Metro has tried to coordinate with Clark County through a number of advisory
committees that include Clark County members. This includes the Joint Policy Advisory
Committee on Transportation (JPACT), which has representation from the Washington
Department of Transportation the City of Vancouver, and Clark County; and the Metro Policy
Advisory Committee (MPAC), which has advisory members from Clark County and the City of
Vancouver.
In Washington State, transportation planning is conducted by the Regional Transportation
council (RTC), while land use planning decision are made by the County Commission. The RTC
serves as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Clark County portion of the
metropolitan region, as well as the state-designated Regional Transportation Planning
Organization (RTPO) for the three-county area of Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat. The RTP
includes members representing Metro and the Oregon Department of Transportation to
facilitate cross-border communication and coordination.
The Bi-State Coordination Committee is a group of regional leaders from the region’s cities, state
departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, ports, and transit agencies.
These regional leaders are charged with coordinating decisions around land use and
transportation among their members. But land use and transportation are only the most obvious
of those issues that require the states to act in a coordinated manner for actions to be effective.
And the RTC’s authorizing mechanism—resolutions or other approval actions issued separately
by each member agency—is only one of many that might be used.
The Bi-State Coordination committee therefore commissioned this study to examine
opportunities for deeper and broader cooperation between the states within the metropolitan
area, to identify issue areas in which the investment in stronger ties might bring the greatest
benefit, and to make recommendations regarding how to proceed to capture these benefits.
**SCHNIPP**
Excerpted.
<a href="http://www.clarkblog.org/docs/ims_bistatecoopdraftrept.pdf">Washington/Oregon Interstate Cooperation Project Draft Final Report</a>
“The resurgence of regionalism is due in part to the gradual devolution of federal responsibilities,
states’ mutual interest in better planning and communication, and the desire to improve state
management and programs.” (Chi, 59)
Local and state governments are responsible for providing a variety of services to their residents,
including the provision and management of physical infrastructure, public schools, safety and
emergency management, and management of natural resources. Many of these services can be
provided more efficiently and effectively if local governments work together to achieve the most
efficient scale, to leverage resources, and to share best practices.
In Oregon, some of this regional coordination is provided by Metro, the directly elected regional
government that serves Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. Metro, however, is a
creature of Oregon law and does not represent the citizens of Clark County, Washington. Thus,
Metro’s responsibilities for open space and parks, plans for land use and transportation, and
garbage disposal and recycling do not extend across the river to Clark County. In the absence of
this authority, Metro has tried to coordinate with Clark County through a number of advisory
committees that include Clark County members. This includes the Joint Policy Advisory
Committee on Transportation (JPACT), which has representation from the Washington
Department of Transportation the City of Vancouver, and Clark County; and the Metro Policy
Advisory Committee (MPAC), which has advisory members from Clark County and the City of
Vancouver.
In Washington State, transportation planning is conducted by the Regional Transportation
council (RTC), while land use planning decision are made by the County Commission. The RTC
serves as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Clark County portion of the
metropolitan region, as well as the state-designated Regional Transportation Planning
Organization (RTPO) for the three-county area of Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat. The RTP
includes members representing Metro and the Oregon Department of Transportation to
facilitate cross-border communication and coordination.
The Bi-State Coordination Committee is a group of regional leaders from the region’s cities, state
departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, ports, and transit agencies.
These regional leaders are charged with coordinating decisions around land use and
transportation among their members. But land use and transportation are only the most obvious
of those issues that require the states to act in a coordinated manner for actions to be effective.
And the RTC’s authorizing mechanism—resolutions or other approval actions issued separately
by each member agency—is only one of many that might be used.
The Bi-State Coordination committee therefore commissioned this study to examine
opportunities for deeper and broader cooperation between the states within the metropolitan
area, to identify issue areas in which the investment in stronger ties might bring the greatest
benefit, and to make recommendations regarding how to proceed to capture these benefits.
**SCHNIPP**
Excerpted.