How Can We Improve Local Government in Wisconsin?

Here is a preliminary list of steps Wisconsin can take to improve the quality and efficiency of local government:

1. Local governments should have the flexibility to respond to a diversity of local needs and to keep their separate identities (one size does not fit all);
2. We should avoid jumping to conclusions or making some governments scapegoats for systemic problems;
3. All Wisconsin citizens (whether they live in a town, village or city) should have an equal voice in decisions affecting government services, budgets and policies;
4. Local governments should achieve economies of scale, and pass the savings on to taxpayers, where feasible through functional consolidation;
5. The cost of supporting local government should be distributed fairly; and
6. Intergovernmental cooperation should be the rule and intergovernmental conflict should be minimized.