Bergen LEADS Class of 2010 Class Project
Public Forum on the Future of Local Government

Each year, participants in Bergen LEADS tackle a class project.  The goals of the project are twofold - to encourage participants to research and apply their knowledge to a real-life community challenge, and to provide a forum for Bergen LEADS to communicate the purpose and content of the program to the public.

In January, the Class of 2010 was split into three teams and asked to research the following issue: 

How can government best provide the appropriate level of needed services to residents in a time of very limited resources?

Each team was tasked with researching and developing a case for one of the following positions:

1. Eliminate County government and let individual municipalities provide services
2. Maintain the status quo, with both County and municipal governments providing services, but make delivery of services more efficient and cost-effective.
3. Eliminate municipal government and let County government provide services

Each team interviewed at least 30 individuals, including elected officials, educators, munipal and county leaders, public and private sector employees and members of the community.  They also researched what other communities have done with respect to this issue. 

On Tuesday, June 22, the teams presented their positions and recommendations at the Public Forum on the Future of Local Government.   The Forum was held at Bergen Community College and moderated by former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean.  More than 200 people attended the event, which was sponsored by TD Bank and the law firm of Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman & Leonard.

Click here to read the article which appeared in the June 23, 2010 edition of The Record

Click here to view the Executive Summaries prepared by each team.

Visit us soon to view a video of the Forum and the team presentations.