Consider Morgan Hill and Gilroy engaged. The two South County
cities agreed to study the cost savings and effect on services that
would come from joining forces in everything from fire services to
environmental programs, and to have a unified front on items
relating to South County, like transportation and water issues.
Natalie Everett – Staff Writer
ne******@mo*************.com
Morgan Hill
Consider Morgan Hill and Gilroy engaged.
The two South County cities agreed to study the cost savings and effect on services that would come from joining forces in everything from fire services to environmental programs, and to have a unified front on items relating to South County, like transportation and water issues.
In nearly unanimous votes all around, via an unusual thumbs up or thumbs down system preferred by Gilroy Mayor Al Pinheiro, the two councils agreed to study joint fire services, collaborative dispatching, and shared environmental programs and recreation services.
For Mayor Steve Tate, the results were “fantastically more successful” than he’d hoped for.
“I’ve always felt since I’ve been on the council that we should explore mutual fire services,” Tate said.
Now, Gilroy has its own fire department while Morgan Hill contracts with Santa Clara County Fire District. In April, the Morgan Hill council asked city staff to explore annexing into the county fire district to cut costs. The city’s contract with the district expires Sept. 30.
Tate said there’s no definitive data that says sharing any services would save money, and that’s why the studies are warranted.
“There are a lot of efficiencies in terms of service that are worth looking at,” he said, adding examples such as “having a single organization and command structure, with the ability to easily draw resources away.”
While the two South County cities have come together on perchlorate, San Martin incorporation, and other “natural” topics of discussion, there hasn’t typically been interest or reason to pursue these myriad possibilities, Tate said.
The two bodies stressed that saving money through joint operations would have to go hand in hand with improved services. In other words, they would not compromise quality.
“This has been the buzz in the background for a while,” Pinheiro said of joining forces. He stressed that, like a marriage, either city could “divorce” from the other at any time.
Before the marriage is sealed with a kiss, the cities will hire a consultant to study the effects of such a partnership.
“I’m concerned about overloading and taxing services we both have,” Morgan Hill Councilwoman Marby Lee said of shared recreation. “The first thing I thought of was summertime.”
The summer months are typically the busiest for Morgan Hill’s recreation, especially the Aquatics Center.
The two cities will explore shared recreation benefits to members which could boost value and, in turn, boost membership.
The studies could take up to three years to complete, Tate said.
Councilman Bob Dillon said he was not as enthusiastic about shared recreation as he was about fire or dispatch services because of the nine-mile distance between the two cities.
