Laserfiche WebLink
<br />ANALYSIS 47 <br /> <br />Under Colorado 1aw,* it is possio1e for governments to cooperate or con- <br />tract with one another to provide any function, service or facility law- <br />fully authorized to each of the cooperating or contracting units, includ- <br />ing sharing of costs, imposition of taxes, or incurring of deot. However, <br />to date, local governments have not used this enao1ing legislation to its. <br />fullest advantage. <br /> <br />A good example of how intergovernmental cooperation can work is the use of <br />the Wyoming Joint Powers Act of 1975. It permits counties to join with <br />municipalities on any puolic project that municipalities are empowered to <br />carry out. Localities can solve tax imoalances oy comoining tax oases <br />where the development may De in the county out the impact on the munici- <br />pality. Joint powers agreements are voluntary, out generally states do <br />have some leverage to encourage their use. The Wyoming Joint Powers Act <br />is oeing widely utilized in Rock Springs and Green River with Sweetwater <br />County, Wheatland with Platte County, and Gillette with Campoe1l County. <br /> <br />There is likely to De competition among local government units in a rapid <br />growth situation.** There is little or no incentive for counties, for ex- <br />ample, to share a portion of their tax oase (property or sales tax re- <br />ceipts) with municipalities. In fact, in the early stages of a Doom situ- <br />ation, county government officials are likely to perceive that their own <br />financial resources are not adequate to meet county responsibilities. <br />Three general approaches in dealing with the proolem of inequities of tax <br />revenues and local government burdens are: <br /> <br />(1) <br /> <br />Ad hoc approach. <br />(or two counties) <br />case basis. This <br /> <br />Under this approach, municipalities and counties <br />can voluntarily work out the problem on a case-by- <br />could happen, for example, in the case of the <br /> <br />*See Colorado Revised Statutes, 197329-1-201, Part 2, Intergovernmental <br />Re 1 ati ons. <br /> <br />**One approach to promoting cooperation, and lessening competition, among <br />local government entities is the estaolishment of a priorities ooard. <br />The Sweetwater County (Wyoming) Priorities Board brings together repre- <br />sentatives of county and municipal government, industry and local citi- <br />zens to deal with potential problems on a coordinated basis. <br /> <br />0418 <br />