Let’s move forward on proposal for regional government council

Glenn Vaad has the right idea.
The Weld County Commissioner has put forth a concept for a regional council of governments, with membership from Larimer and Weld counties in Northern Colorado and from Laramie County – which encompasses Cheyenne – in Wyoming.
Such a group could include membership not only at the county government level but also at the community level, with cities and towns paying for membership.
Vaad’s idea is rooted in the concept that communities in this region share many common goals, issues and problems. A regional body, for example, could create a unified voice and strategy on issues such as work-force development, water storage and quality, transportation, planning, economic development, air quality and sanitation, among others.
The concept is one that has worked well around the country, including in the Denver area, where the Denver Regional Council of Governments, or DRCOG, provides a united voice on many major issues, encouraging cooperation among 51 counties and municipalities.
Vaad is quick to point out that his concept is not to create a new level of government but to craft a better mechanism for local communities to communicate and, if possible, develop common strategies.
It’s exactly the right idea in a regional economy that is increasingly becoming intertwined. Few residents these days can claim to conduct all their work, shopping, cultural and leisurely activities only in the community in which they live. Rather, most of us are quite comfortable shifting from one community to another for those activities, and think more in terms of a wider region, rather than only one community.
Indeed, there is strength in numbers. A regional group will carry much more weight in deliberations at the state and federal level than would one community or county standing alone.
Although the idea of a regional council seems to make a lot of sense, parochialism already has surfaced, with some individuals pointing to the former Larimer and Weld County Council of Governments, which was dissolved in the mid-1980s. A regional council, they argue, would only duplicate services and create an additional layer of government.
But such opponents are living in the past. Northern Colorado has coalesced into a true region in the past two decades – especially in the past 10 years. Our economies are more integrated, as is our population. And Cheyenne is becoming more of a key player in our wider region, adding hundreds of jobs and pulling from the Northern Colorado work force.
Cooperation among all communities in Northern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming is something not to be feared but to be embraced, fostered and encouraged.
Many details have yet to be worked out about what form a regional council would take. But the idea is sound enough that discussions should continue.
It’s time to look at the reality of today and the potential of tomorrow, not the misguided notions of the past.

Christopher Wood can be reached at (970) 221-5400, (970) 356-1683 or via e-mail at cwood@ncbr.com. His fax number is (970) 221-5432.