The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the department of Political Science will host “Creating Collaborative Communities,” from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Monday, Oct. 31., and Tuesday, Nov. 1 on campus at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center.

Across Michigan, state and local officials are searching for ways to relieve the intense financial pressure on local governments. The severity of this problem, which stems from rising costs, particularly salaries, health care and infrastructure, has pushed municipal leaders to create innovative strategies to alleviate the financial burden while still maintaining vital services such as police and fire protection, libraries and sanitation..

“Municipal collaboration and resource sharing is at the forefront of this new wave of thinking. Its basic tenant is cities can save money and/or increase services by sharing costs, equipment, knowledge and manpower with other cities,” said Jered Carr, conference organizer and assistant professor of Political Science at Wayne State. “Creating Collaborative Communities will capitalize on the tremendous opportunities open to local cities looking to implement collaborative policies.”

Conference highlights:
     •Discussion of barriers to collaboration, and ways for groups to overcome them;
     •Identification of support tools -- from community groups, government agencies and academe.
     •Examination of financial collaboration; methods, costs and savings;
     •An in-depth look at Southwest Michigan communities’ efforts;
     •How to identify collaboration partners and initiate relationships.

Monday, October 31- Academic Day
“Creating Collaborative Communities: Management Networks, Services Cooperation, and Metropolitan Governance”
13 local and national academic experts lead discussions on the latest resource sharing research and trends. Morning sessions are presentations of theoretical approaches to interlocal services collaboration. Afternoon sessions are presentations of empirical studies on interlocal service collaborations in selected states.

Who should attend: Academics, students, and independent researchers from the southeast Michigan area gather to listen to paper presentations and participate in questions and answer sessions. Other interested parties are welcome to attend, practitioners are encouraged to participate.

Tuesday, November 1- Practitioner Day (admission $15)
“Creating Collaborative Communities: Building Inter-local Cooperation”
Local government officials, state policymakers, community leaders, and academics gather for an interactive discussion of the practical application of resource sharing concepts. Participants can choose from 12 breakout sessions on a number of topics including building leadership, developing community support, overcoming the social barriers to collaboration, and marketing your collaboration initiative.

Sponsors
Wayne State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Wayne State University, Department of Political Science
Michigan Suburbs Alliance
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Michigan State University, Land Policy Program
University of Michigan, Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy
Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
Citizens Research Council of Michigan
Michigan Municipal League
Wayne State University, Center for Urban Studies

For reservations and information contact Jered Carr at 313-310-3632, or visit http://www.creatingcollaborativecommunities.com/

Wayne State University is a premier institution offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.