Cooperation is refreshing

Cooperation between government entities is something that people expect, but often, that is not the case.

Everyone has their “turf,” and many governmental agencies are hesitant to give up some of their independence and power by working together, The fear is that they will lose their independence, That they will be forced to give up some of their powers or resources.

In the New Prague area, we have two good examples of governments working together. The Scott County Association for Leadership and Efficiency (SCALE) was formed a number of years ago for the various cities, townships, and school districts, the tribal government from the Shakopee Mdewakanton and Scott County itself, can find ways to work together to save money and better serve their constituents. They have done so in many innovative ways.

Le Sueur County put together a similar group, the Le Sueur County Elected Officials Association, that does much the same thing, meeting periodically and working together on projects to benefit residents.

The spirit of cooperation has also been in place in New Prague for years, with the city and school district working together under a Joint Powers Agreement to operate the city’s pool and the summer recreation program. The agreement has worked well.

Now, with the addition of an indoor pool, the city and schools are working toward another Joint Powers Agreement. The agreement will allow the two groups to pool their resources and draw on each others’ strengths in order to benefit the entire community.

There will be no turf war or power grab, just two groups working together... Just as the public expects them to.

How very refreshing.