1. Recommendation for Restructuring COG Reorganization Committee November 1998

2. Goal n To develop a Kalamazoo County Compact among the twenty-five (25) governmental jurisdictions that will lead the County forward by positively resolving major issues: n Land use planning n Water and wastewater governance n Revenue sharing n Consolidated services n Economic development n Other goals

3. Structural Changes n To accomplish this goal COG will need to extend its influence by building a structure that assists collaboration between the units of government, is balanced and fair in its voting and funding mechanisms, has a strong executive director and an effective steering committee including members from outside the public sector…business/ education/healthcare/foundations.

4. Structural Changes If the following changes are put into effect, we believe that COG will become a progressive and proactive organization capable of developing a Kalamazoo County Compact among all jurisdictions.

5. Structural Changes 1. Hire an executive director that is on a par with other top local government officials.

6. Structural Changes 2. Create a Steering Committee n 1 City of Kalamazoo n 1 City of Portage n 1 Kalamazoo County n 1 Large Township n 1 Small Township n 1 From Small Unit (Village or Small City) n 1 Large Business * n 2 Education,Health- care,Foundation * * CEO Level

7. Steering Committee Responsibilities n Executive Director and staff report to Steering Committee n Creates Agendas for COG n Acts as monitor of COG committees n Overall leadership

8. Structural Changes 3. COG should meet monthly and the steering committee twice a month. The venue for Council meetings needs to be larger with better parking facilities. The executive director and staff could be housed separate from the meeting facilities.

10. Structural Changes Voting Policy n After serious consideration of other COG’s voting and dues structures, and careful consideration of the positives and negatives of COG’s current policies, the Committee recommends the following voting and dues policies.

11. Structural Changes Voting Policy 4. The voting policy is based on the premise that every member gets at least one vote and that additional votes are assigned based on a combination of population and SEV. The County was given the same number of votes as the highest jurisdiction.

15. Structural Changes Dues 5. Dues. The formula is 1/10 of one percent of each jurisdiction’s operating budget, except for the County. The budget calls for the County to match the dues of all other jurisdictions. This dues structure represents an increase in total dues from approximately $30,000 to over $200,000 per year.

18. Direction n The committee recommends strongly that COG become the facilitator of collaborative action among all governmental units in the same way that Regional EDGE has become the facilitator of collaborative action in the business community.

19. Direction n Regional EDGE, like COG, has no power in and of itself. Its effectiveness comes from its ability to convene the marketplace, to help businesses identify and remove blocks to their success and to facilitate businesses collaborating with the rest of the community from schools and higher education to governments.

20. Direction n In a similar way, COG has no official power in and of itself. But through this restructuring, we believe COG can build on its past successes and become an effective “convener” of governments in the county and eventually in the region.

21. Direction n Through the influence of the Executive Director, the Steering Committee, and the Council, COG can organize and facilitate governments’ efforts to become more efficient and to effectively address the challenges facing Kalamazoo County and the region.

22. TIME LINE n December 10:Vote on Reorganization n January 1:Steering Committee in Place n May 31:Executive Director in Place n August 31: Executive Director issues Preliminary Work Plan & Report

23. Committee Members n John Bultje, Mayor, City of Parchment n Ron Commissaris, Supervisor, Texas Township n Gary Cramer, Supervisor, Kalamazoo Township (Chair) n Robert Jones, Mayor, City of Kalamazoo n James Schultz, President, Village of Augusta n Charlotte Sumney, Chair, Kalamazoo County Board n Robert Thompson, Supervisor, Schoolcraft Township n Thomas Breznau, Facilitator