Information:

Oneida County Executive Ralph J. Eannace Jr. announced today the move towards "shared services" with the Youth Bureau with the goal of a full consolidation of services. Youth Bureau Director, James Lafountain has been tasked to come up with a quick and thorough plan for the consolidation of recreation program services with the City of Utica. Eannace said, "It is my belief that after discussions with Ed Hanna, Bob Julian and others, we can swiftly and efficiently consolidate program services for youth recreation between the City and the County. This is a goal we have sought for over 2 years." Eannace further stated, "This move could allow us to provide more recreational services to the City with existing state funding which the city now receives. This should also save the city taxpayers substantial amounts of money and add to the current services these programs provide."

A detailed proposal will be put together in the coming weeks after further consultation with the City and the State Office of Children and Family Services. Eannace stated, "Ed Hanna and I both share the belief that many duplicate services between City and County Governments could be consolidated to save the taxpayers money." The county is also in the process of preparing proposals for consolidation in other key areas ranging from Codes Enforcement to Accounting Services. All of these proposals will be worked out between the County Executive and Mayor Hanna and submitted to the County Legislators and the Utica Common Council for consideration and approval. Similar discussions are currently taking place with Mayor Joe Griffo in Rome, with whom purchasing was consolidated in 1998.