The Senior Public Service Associate of the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government visited a Journalism 3410 lab, speaking about the increased interest in the consolidation of city and county governments across the state of Georgia.
The visitor, Harry Hayes, said that the economic crisis that local governments are facing has driven them to reduce budget costs and maximize efficiency. Consolidation of adjoining city and county governments is one solution.
Consolidation has always been an ongoing or “evergreen” issue, according to Hayes, but the downturn in the economy has sped up the trend considerably.
