A City That Outsourced Almost Everything

Communities throughout America are looking at bleak futures, burdened by huge long-term liabilities and declining revenue to fund them. The Town of Greenburgh, mismanaged under various Feiner Administrations for so many years, actually spin their diatribe to try to make us believe incompetence is the norm of good government. It's like the abuse victim who eventually believes what their abuser is saying about them. In some towns and cities, the crisis means choosing between cuts to public services or massive tax hikes that will drive off businesses and families. In Sandy Springs, Georgia, they’re trying to decide where to invest their surpluses instead. 

While cities across the country are cutting services, raising taxes and contemplating bankruptcy, something extraordinary is happening in a suburban community just north of Atlanta, Georgia.

Since incorporating in 2005 (think Edgemont), Sandy Springs has improved its services, invested tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure and kept taxes flat. And get this: Sandy Springs has no long-term liabilities. 

This is an incredible story of Sandy Springs, Georgia—the city that outsourced everything.

Sandy Springs started off with a few advantages  It’s easier to solve problems before they occur, especially with money in the bank. The Town of Greenburgh used to have money in the bank until the Supervisor raided it to keep taxes down during this election year. The choice to outsource appears to have been an easy one.  But their experience shows why private-sector services work better than public sector services, at least in those jobs where the private sector is an option: competition forces providers to be efficient and effective.  That allows Sandy Springs to have firms competing for their business and avoids the issue of labor management for the city. Where they did not outsource was with their police and fire services.

 

And since Sandy Springs keeps its own money and manages it well, they are able to invest it back for themselves. Ultimately, most residents of most communities always prefer reinvesting in themselves. Maybe Greenburgh could learn something from Sandy Springs, Georgia...

Information for this story was taken from HOTAIR.COM.