June 11, 2000 tywide dispatch center is another example. In the long run, it makes sense to have only one center, instead of the old system of three, he said. But to build the new center required larger computer and telephone systems, far more expensive than what the smaller centers needed. There wouldn't be much savings in personnel costs either, Froerer said. Sure, there would only need to be one chief, where now there are four (not including the chiefs of the volunteer departments in some cities). But "a larger organization needs more administrators," Froerer pointed out. "You're not going to eliminate us, you're going to reassign us." The same thing would happen if you tried to consolidate the separate police forces into one metro unit, Ogden Mayor Matt Godfrey said. For starters, you'd have to have one uniform salary scale for all the officers, he said. And realistically, that's likely going to mean raising everybody's pay up to the level Ogden City pays now. Again, several small-town police chiefs' jobs would be eliminated, but a bigger department is going to need more lieutenants and captains to supervise a bigger patrol force, Godfrey said. "And their police chiefs make about what our captains and lieutenants are paid." A 1992-93 study of a proposal to consolidate the North View, Ogden, Roy and Weber Fire District fire departments reached much the same conclusion. At the time, there were 156 paid, full-time firefighters in the four departments, plus the equivalent of 15.5 full-time people in administrative and clerical jobs. But to provide full coverage in each station (meaning having four firefighters available around-the-clock, and having enough people to cover vacation and sick days for the Ogden City stations only), the combined department would have to hire 18 more firefighters. The department also would need two full-time training officers, the report said (at the time, there were only two part-timers for the whole county). And between 60 and 80 firefighters would get either wage or benefit increases, in order to put everyone on an even level. The result - a savings of $13,774 on a budget of almost $10 million, the consultant determined, or about 0.1 percent. And that even includes the money saved by consolidating two nearby stations - Ogden No. 5 and Weber No. 4 - into one unit. Analysis The Standard-Examiner analysis of budgets for each city in Weber County pointed to one truism - cities that have money, spend it. And cities that have little tax base, and thus generate less revenue, spend less. Consolidation would require additional spending to bring those small-city agencies up to the level of relatively rich cities, like Ogden and Riverdale. In all, there's only one thing you can say consistently about consolidations, said Weber State University economist Deana Froerer, who analyzed the budget impacts of several different consolidations scenarios for the Standard-Examiner. "As an economist is always quick to answer - it depends," said Froerer (who is no relation to the North View fire chief). "The power of consolidation comes from the combination being considered. In high expenditure areas, consolidation makes more sense than fiscally conservative areas." So is it a stupid idea? Not really, local leaders say. In the long run, a countywide fire department would be able to save some money on equipment purchase, through the economies of scale - essentially buying in bulk - Froerer said. With fire trucks running about half-a-million each, it could be big bucks. And even if it didn't save money, "If we could improve service and keep it (cost) the same, it's worth doing," Godfrey said. But will it ever happen? Not likely, observers said. Over the past 30 years, Salt Lake County voters have rejected three proposals to consolidate their fractured municipalities into one countywide metro government, said Ted Wilson, a well-liked former Salt Lake City mayor who now chairs the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics. You can argue all you want about efficiency and savings, he said. But opponents need say only one thing: Big government. "Big government is an anathema in Utah," Wilson said. There's another thing, Wilson said. The last consolidation proposal was voted down in 1982. He was the only elected city council member or mayor on record supporting it, he said. Everyone else, threatened with losing their position in their community, came out against it. Given that political reality, Emmi said, "The question becomes less of municipal government, than of municipal governance." How can the fractured local governments pull together? Middle ground? For many, the answer lies in the concept of "functional consolidation" - combining government functions, not the governments themselves. One of the examples often cited by urban planners is Los Angeles, where smaller municipalities follow the "Lakewood Plan," which was named after the L.A. suburb where it first was proposed. Under that plan, each city contracts with a larger agency (in this case, Los Angeles County) to provide basic government services. The local city council retains oversight. A number of Utah cities do something similar. In Weber County, for example, Huntsville, Fair West and Marriot-Slaterville all contract with the sheriffs office for police protection, with the Weber Fire District for fire protection and with Weber County for road maintenance. Only one large Utah city -Taylorsville, in Salt Lake County - has followed suit. But city managers there say they save about $2 million a year by contracting out their primary government functions. On a more-basic level, however, local government agencies have been pursuing functional consolidation for decades. The North View Fire District is an example, serving North Ogden, Pleasant View and Harrisville through an interlocal agreement. Elsewhere, the sheriffs office and the various police departments have formed joint task forces to investigate drugs and major crime and to form a SWAT team. The fire departments have formed joint special rescue, hazardous materials and public education programs. And Godfrey said Ogden City is considering a proposal to hire the Ogden School District to maintain the city's parks. It only makes sense, North View chief Froerer said. "Budgetwise, nobody can stand on their own any more." You can reach reporter Bryan Corliss at 625-4244 or bcorliss@standard.net. 496