EfficientGovNow Blog

Advancing Northeast Ohio through Government Collaboration

More efficient, effective local government is the goal. EfficientGovNow is the program designed by the Fund for Our Economic Future to help Northeast Ohio achieve that goal. In 2009, the Fund awarded the first round of EfficientGovNow grant awards. As the Fund continues EfficientGovNow, this blog will track of the progress of the program’s second round, as well as feature ongoing information about government collaboration and efficiency efforts throughout the 16 counties of Northeast Ohio.

  • Round 2 Receives 50 Project IdeasEfficientGovNow has received 50 project ideas from partnerships across 15 counties. We're on to reviewing them to ensure that they meet the EfficientGovNow criteria and we’ve posted all 50 ideas so you, too, can review and comment on any or all of the projects.
  • Commission invites officials, public to share gov’t efficiency ideas at 2/26 event in CantonGovernment officials and the public are invited to share government efficiency ideas at the next meeting of the Ohio Commission on Local Government Reform and Collaboration on February 26 at Malone University in Canton.
  • Expanding coverage of EfficientGovNowLocal government matters and deserves our attention. That is why the backers of EfficientGovNow have retained Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Paynter to help explain to the region the role local government plays in the economic competitiveness.
  • EfficientGovNow project ideas continue to arriveThe second round of EfficientGovNow has received five project abstracts from some early birds. We’re excited to see an impressive number of communities involved in each of the project ideas we’ve seen so far.
  • First round two project idea arrives extra earlyEfficientGovNow's second round has received its first project abstract – more than a month before the deadline.
  • Joint Fire District Panel Shows One Route to EfficientGovNowMore action around government collaboration was added in Northeast Ohio recently when the City of Canal Fulton and Lawrence Township agreed to form a committee to study the feasibility of creating a joint fire district.
  • Talking Up EfficientGovNow to Encourage ParticipationOrganizers of EfficientGovNow are hitting the road this month and next to spread the word among local officials about the second round of the competitive grants program aimed at accelerating government collaboration and efficiency in Northeast Ohio.
  • EfficientGovNow Program Returns with Round Two LaunchOn January 5, the Fund for Our Economic Future launched the second round of EfficientGovNow.
  • 10 Easy Ways Northeast Ohioans Can Spur the Second Round of EfficientGovNowNortheast Ohioans – NOW is your chance to help get EfficientGovNow's second round started.
  • Akron Beacon Journal Editorial: Efficiency testA recent editorial from the Akron Beacon Journal says EfficientGovNow "grants spur local governments to think creatively about ways to share expenses and provide better services."
  • Round Two of EfficientGovNow Approved TodayThe Fund for Our Economic Future announced that it will host the second round of the EfficientGovNow competition in 2010.
  • Steps to a stronger economy? Think efficiencyGovernment collaboration and efficiency can help bring about a stronger economy for Northeast Ohio. Read more in Fund President Brad Whitehead's op-ed in the 12/4 Akron Beacon Journal.
  • Survey Shows Further Progress on Local Government CollaborationLocal government collaboration is moving forward in Northeast Ohio, according to a report prepared by Kent State University’s Center for Public Administration and Public Policy. The report found that 64% of the local government officials responding to a recent survey are moving forward with the collaborations they proposed to the Fund for Our Economic Future’s EfficientGovNow awards program.
  • Mahoning River Corridor Initiative Collaboration Keeps Rollin'The EfficientGovNow award-winning Rollin' on the River: Mahoning River Corridor Redevelopment Project is making progress toward developing an interactive web site that markets locations available for economic development in the river corridor.
  • Northeast Ohio Continues to CollaborateNortheast Ohio governments are not waiting for the second round of EfficientGovNow to start in order to collaborate. In addition to Youngstown and Girard working together on a land deal that might bring hundreds of jobs to the Mahoning Valley, WKBN reported recently that Mahoning County is taking steps toward consolidating its 911 emergency services.
  • Mahoning Valley Leaders Reflect on Getting Out the EfficientGovNow VoteThe vice president of government affairs at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber shares his insights on how the Mahoning Valley successfully spread the word and inspired voters to cast ballots supporting award-winning EfficientGovNow projects initiated in that part of the region.
  • Northeast Ohioans Help Design Potential Round 2 of EfficientGovNow To gather public input, the Fund sent a brief survey to all Northeast Ohioans who cast EfficientGovNow ballots online, asking how they would design a second round of the program. See what they had to say.
  • Voter Feedback to Help Shape Round 2As we continue exploring a second round of EfficientGovNow, we want to let the residents of Northeast Ohio weigh in on what they want to see next.
  • How Local Governments Deal with Financial HardshipTo help generate more ideas and encourage local governments to learn how to more efficiently deal with financial troubles, the Center for Public Administration and Public Policy will be hosting an informal discussion on Thursday September 24 at the Kent State University Moulton Hall Ballroom.
  • What’s Next? What’s next for EfficientGovNow? A lot of you have asked that question since July and the answer is getting a little clearer after members of the Fund for Our Economic Future met yesterday at Oberlin College.
  • Westshore Fire District Collaboration Moving Forward There has been a lot of excitement in the Westshore Council of Governments over the past month. The EfficientGovNow award-winning fire district collaboration project continues to receive positive support from the community.
  • EfficientGovNow Generates More CollaborationsThere’s a new government collaboration under way in Northeast Ohio – thanks to the EfficientGovNow program. Check out the video below to learn how the two Mahoning Valley projects that will receive EfficientGovNow awards say they will work together to promote the region’s economic development.
  • Study: Infrastructure management best viewed from regional perspectiveKent State University’s Center for Public Administration and Public Policy and its Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative released a study that assesses alternative approaches for managing vital infrastructure in cities that are losing population. The report makes it clear that infrastructure management is best viewed from a regional perspective, and it includes recommendations about potential areas for management improvements.
  • EfficientGovNow Award Recipients Named After 31 days of voting and strong “get-out-the-vote” campaigns by the nine finalists, the residents of Northeast Ohio have made their choice and determined the three EfficientGovNow collaboration projects that will receive grants from the Fund for Our Economic Future.
  • Progress on Government CollaborationLast winter when the Fund for Our Economic Future was shaping the EfficientGovNow program, we spent a lot of time discussing that while the government collaboration projects would be important, what we also were hoping to see a change in the culture of government in Northeast Ohio.
  • EfficientGovNow to Announce Award Recipients ThursdayThroughout July, thousands of Northeast Ohioans cast EfficientGovNow ballots via phone, mail and EfficientGovNow.org to help fuel government collaboration and efficiency throughout the region. Those votes are now being tabulated. Because qualified mail-in ballots are still arriving ,the final vote tally won’t be completed for a few days. And the winners will be announced Thursday morning.
  • Surge of Support for Finalists Shakes up the Standings
  • What do 11,000+ opinions on efficient gov’t look like?
  • Leader Board ChangingThe EfficientGovNow leader board is changing as the “get out the vote” campaigns across Northeast Ohio are heating up.
  • EfficientGovNow Finalists to be featured on WCPN July 27On Monday, July 27, 2009, the nine EfficientGovNow finalists will be featured on radio’s The Sounds of Ideas program on WCPN 90.3 FM from 9 – 10 a.m.
  • EfficientGovNow Voting Tightens With nine days left before voting ends, the EfficientGovNow vote leaders are facing tougher competition, with the Westhore Regional Fire District Project moving into third place in just the last two days.
  • EfficientGovNow Voting Heats UpThree weeks into EfficientGovNow voting, front runners are emerging—with the leading four vote-getters running an especially tight race.
  • Nation’s Chief Technology Officer Notes EfficientGovNowDuring his speech at the City Club of Cleveland, Chopra highlighted the EfficientGovNow competition as an example of the innovative ideas needed to stimulate more efficient government and a more globally competitive nation.
  • EfficientGovNow Finalists Speak Out via YouTubeMeet your favorite EfficientGovNow finalists face-to-face as they explain their exciting ideas for government collaboration in an efficient amount of time.
  • EfficientGovNow Names Nine Project Finalists The Fund for Our Economic Future, a philanthropic collaboration that works to strengthen the economic competitiveness of Northeast Ohio, has named the nine finalists competing for EfficientGovNow awards. The three winners will now be determined via a public vote to be held from July 1 through July 31.
  • Area Universities Sponsor Water Infrastructure Forum in ColumbusOn June 2, 2009, a coalition of Ohio universities is sponsoring a forum in Columbus, Ohio, on Financing Water Infrastructure for policymakers and stakeholders. The forum is designed to assist state policy makers and water stakeholders in improving water infrastructure management in the State of Ohio.
  • Kent State University’s Public Policy Center Graduates 12 from its Elected Officials AcademyThe Academy enables today’s leaders to become informed about the roles of local elected officials and ways in which they provide for the delivery of efficient and effective services for Northeast Ohio residents.
  • Qualified project abstracts posted; Public comments wantedAll 45 qualified abstracts have been posted to the “proposals” section of the site. We want YOUR comments, which will allow local gov't officials to strengthen their collaborative work and understand what's important to NE Ohio residents.
  • Summaries of the 65 Project Abstracts Submitted to EfficientGovNowThe Fund for Our Economic Future, a collaborative effort to strengthen regional economic competitiveness in Northeast Ohio, received 65 project abstracts from partnerships of governmental entities looking to compete for EfficientGovNow awards.
  • EfficientGovNow Attracts Ideas from across the RegionWith less than one day left for officials to submit project abstracts, EfficientGovNow is already swimming in great government collaboration and efficiency ideas.
  • Southern Suburbs Council of Governments Participating in EfficientGovNowThe Southern Suburbs Council of Governments, consisting of Broadview Heights, Brooklyn Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Independence, Seven Hills, Valley View and Walton Hills, is working hard to win some of the $300,000 in grant money being made available by the Fund for Our Economic Future in the EfficientGovNow program.
  • Examples of Collaboration Abound in the Region – Here’s a Handful
  • Lake County Fire Departments Ready to Share
  • Wadsworth and Geauga Lead the Way
  • Top Ten Ways Northeast Ohioans Can Support EfficientGovNow
  • EfficientGovNow Builds Momentum
  • Citizens of Northeast Ohio Can Play an Active Role in the Region’s Economic Future
  • Welcome to EfficientGovNowWelcome to EfficientGovNow, a new initiative of the Fund for Our Economic Future designed to encourage greater government collaboration among our region's local governments.
  • EfficientGovNow Program Unveiled by Fund for Our Economic FutureThe Fund for Our Economic Future, a collaborative effort to strengthen regional economic competitiveness in Northeast Ohio, has announced a new competitive awards program, EfficientGovNow.

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