The Met and City-County Consolidation

Before anything else, I want to wish readers of my blog a prosperous and happy New Year. Let's take the optimistic "glass is half full" FresYES approach to 2010 and this new decade to move our city, county, region, state and country to a new level.

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Now that the Fresno Met is winding down, leaving a multi-million dollar financial debt to the City of Fresno taxpayers, it's time to consider adaptive uses for the building. Having the building sit idle makes no sense at all. While a little birdie tells me that City Hall honchos are considering some ideas for its use, allow me to weigh in with a suggestion my own.

Use this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of having the newly refurbished Met available to establish a commitment to bringing more effective and efficient services to the public through the implementation of true city-county consolidation. Located in the heart of downtown, use the beautiful, historic Met for the mayor and county administrator and their immediate staffs. Over time, selected city and county departments would be merged and relocated to the Met. Adding to the theme of cooperation in advancing the common good, the Fresno Economic Development Corporation, with its important mission of bringing jobs to Fresno county, would also relocate to the Met. Continuing to advance the inclusive philosophy of highly effective public service, selected not-for-profits such as the United Way would be invited to make the Met their home.

Another possible tenant in the Met would be public safety providers. For years, a public safety building serving municipal police departments in Fresno County as well as the Fresno County Sheriff's Department has been discussed with few results. Locating some consolidated services to the Met could be a beginning. Just imagine the possibilities of having Fresno's police chief, the sheriff and other public safety officers working together out of the same facility!

The "openness" of the Met adds to the consolidation theme. Instead of a building full of private offices, everyone from the mayor and county administrator would be working side-by-side. People would talk to one another, traditional bureaucratic "turf" issues would slowly dissipate, services would improve as costs decrease.

I have deliberately used the Met as the appropriate name for the rebirth of this building. I would encourage the continued use of art, particularly art that appeals to school-age children. Children would be bused to The Met to learn about aspects of Fresno's history, enjoy traveling child-related exhibits, and receive a proud real-time look at how their innovative consolidated local government operates.

Think big Fresno! Here's your opportunity to truly be a national leader! Think FresYes. Think consolidation at the Met!

Coming Soon. . .

1. Roses and Thorns awards (January 12th)
2. Where are our private sector leaders?
3. How many deployments can we expect from our military? Resurrect the draft?

Comments are always welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com