Area leaders will meet Tuesday to report their progress in combining government services and sharing costs.

Tuesday’s session isn’t to present final reports on nine areas of study but rather to check in on everyone’s progress, see what else needs to be done and plan for the final reports, Cowlitz County Commissioner George Raiter said Friday.

“We want to identify the deficiencies we’ve found so far but not be defined by them,” Raiter said, adding he doesn’t want the committees to get discouraged by initial roadblocks to their plans. “We want people to get past that stuff. And it may include a little cheerleading to keep people boosted up about this.”

Areas of study include combining the vehicle fleet services of the county and area cities, creating a regional library system, combine fire services county-wide and develop a joint purchasing plan.

The goal of the summit, hosted by the county, is to find ways all local governments can save money while still providing needed services. Suggestions could range from full-fledged consolidation of cities or sharing departments and eliminate redundancies.

County Commissioner Kathleen Johnson also asked for area legislators’ help during a Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce meeting Thursday. Cowlitz County is ahead of most areas on the issue and needs any assistance lawmakers can provide, she said.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Cowlitz County Event and Expo Center, 1900 Seventh Ave., Longview. Public comment is scheduled for 8 p.m., with the meeting slated to end at 8:30 p.m.

Related articles:

County leaders brainstorm ways to pinch pennies  (March 26)

City merger draws little interest at summit  (March 26)