Why We Need An Urban County Government - 1080 Words

Why We Need an Urban County Government For too long this area has taken a back seat to the larger cities around us. We need to join the rest of the progressive regions in this state and establish a new, more efficient form of government. Pulaski County and the cities of Somerset, Science Hill, Ferguson, and Burnside need to merge together and create an urban county government. This will help to consolidate duplicate services, provide better representation for the citizens of Pulaski County, and strengthen the economy in this region. We live in a magnificent part of the state of Kentucky. We have picturesque landscapes, really pleasant residents, and a magnificent lake that supports a huge part of our economy through tourism.†¦show more content†¦As a result, it is possible for the citizens to vote to implement this type of government. Therefore, in April of 2013 the Somerset-Pulaski County United group formed and began the process of having feasibility studies done to see if the formation of an urban county government would be an alternative that would serve our area well. According to the Commonwealth Journal, a newspaper in Somerset, Kentucky, â€Å"A group of about 60 community leaders, clustered as Somerset-Pulaski County United (SPCU), is embarking on a study to determine if a consolidated or united government in Pulaski County would be more efficient and more responsive to the county’s 63,000 residents.† (Mardis and Shmidheiser). This group, a cross-section that well represents t he residents of this county, believes that the formation an urban county government is a great opportunity for all our futures. Unfortunately, the SPCU has faced much antagonism in this initial phase of work. Many current government leaders are afraid of what changes might do to their positions of power. But these same leaders are also the ones who create problems and allow current ones to continue. Having a council of peers will give a voice everyone in the area, not just the few who reside in the