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Editorial: Consolidating local government sensible

If the citizens of San Angelo and Tom Green County were starting out fresh today to create a new form of government, it's doubtful they would choose something that looks like what they have now.

For one thing, they would wonder why there would need to be two separate governing bodies when the smaller comprises 85 percent of the population of the larger.

And they would wonder, surely, why they are expected to decide by election, say, the person who runs the office that processes license plate renewals or the people who serve official documents. Wouldn't it make more sense to simply hire people with the appropriate skills and qualifications to do those jobs and most others now ``employed'' by voters at the ballot box?

A thoughtful, detailed overview of the situation and proposed remedies appeared on this page over three days this past week. Johnny Fender, a retired Air Force colonel who teaches at Angelo State University and is involved in local civic affairs, laid out a strong case for making a change.

It isn't an easy task, mainly because we aren't starting out fresh. We have had our present county government in place for well over a century, giving it a huge edge over any proposed restructuring. Fundamental change of this magnitude is extremely difficult to bring about.

Aside from the legislative and constitutional hurdles - which are substantial, to say the least - consolidation of San Angelo and Tom Green County has at least a couple of major obstacles to clear locally before it could move forward.

First is the notion alluded to earlier, that many people simply want to be able to elect - or, perhaps more important, un-elect - those public servants they don't think are doing a good job. They would have to be persuaded that they would be served better through a system that depends on professional managers ultimately accountable to elected representatives.

Second is the reluctance of ``county'' residents - those who live outside the city limits - to tie themselves to San Angelo. Many are worried that their interests would be overwhelmed by those in the city, but Fender laid out a persuasive and rational argument for addressing those concerns. For example, he said, they could be taxed on the basis of services they chose to receive, such as sewer or fire protection.

Indeed, it's hard to imagine that there are problems that couldn't be worked out, objections to which solutions couldn't be found. The problem is in generating the support for overturning the status quo.

While creating a new, more efficient form of government is an extremely difficult task, increasing cooperative efforts between the city, county and school district to save money is quite doable. Some progress has been made in that direction, and local leaders should be encouraged to keep going.

In the meantime, though, we hope local residents will think about the grander goal of consolidated government, and the payoff to San Angelo and Tom Green County if it can become a reality.

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