Madison County Judge Executive Kent Clark: Intergovernmental
cooperation on planning needed
By Andy McDonald
 Joint planning was one issue on the mind of Madison County Judge Executive Kent Clark who addressed the Berea Chamber of Commerce at the organization's March meeting. Clark was the featured speaker at a luncheon at Boone Tavern. |
A merged government for Madison County,
Berea and Richmond isn’t under consideration, according to
Madison County Judge Executive Kent Clark. But he said a meeting
of the minds among planning officials of the three governments is
necessary to sustain the county’s quality of life. “I’m afraid some people misunderstand what joint planning is. At no time have I heard anybody mention merged government,” Clark said. “We have three very strong, viable governments that work closely together. But we all have our own individuality, and we all have our own problems to take care of, and our own methods of fixing those problems.” |
Clark suggested there is a need for more coordinated planning since recent developments could have significant long-term impacts on the community. One example Clark cited was the proposed chemical weapons neutralization plant at the Blue Grass Army Depot, a facility that could employ as many as a thousand new workers. While that new plant and other county growth could bring many economic benefits to the region, failure to coordinate planning between the three governments could result in negative consequences down the road, according to Clark.
“Right now you’ve got three huge bodies going in different directions, and they’re not working together for what’s good for the future of Madison County,” Clark said. “I don’t mean five years from now. I mean fifty years from now, I mean a hundred years from now.”
Clark suggested Madison could follow the example of other counties that employ joint intergovernmental planning. Clark noted, for example, that the city of Paris and Bourbon County have cooperated on planning for the last 35 years. Winchester and Clark County, meanwhile, have also coordinated planning efforts for 35 years, and the city of Danville, Centre College, and Boyle County have been engaged in cooperative planning for the last 40 years, according to Clark.
“I’m not proposing anything new, I’m just proposing that we start,” Clark said. “Because if we wait another five or ten years, trust me, it’s going to be too late. It will be so far gone that we can’t go back and fix it. This isn’t something you can do overnight or next year, but it’s something that we can start on.”
During his remarks to the chamber, Clark made reference to his discussions with Berea Mayor Steve Connelly about the issue of planning. For his part, Connelly said some intergovernmental cooperation could be very productive, but expectations of all of parties involved should be realistic.
“Discussing common issues like growth, development, traffic, illegal drug use, parks, recreational options, services for youth and seniors, is no guarantee that we will agree on a solution,” Connelly said. “However, I do think that the three governments should talk, meet and coordinate where we agree. That may be with a joint approach to regulating political signs - a small issue -or a united effort to work against drug abuse - enforcement, education, and providing healthy activities for teens, and clearly, working together on the Depot Demilitarization. Such cooperation will not cause Berea to lose its identity. It just acknowledges that we can deal with some issues together.”
Connelly cautioned, however, that venturing beyond a simple dialogue to form a joint planning body or a comprehensive plan could be a troublesome venture.
“I think the idea of trying to write one comprehensive plan and
trying to form one joint planning group will fail and will waste a lot
of time,” Connelly said. “Much can be done together without
touching that tar baby. Perhaps we should start with the little things
that can be accomplished and build upon that foundation of agreement.”
