There have been a lot of changes in the funding priorities of our federal government during the past six months. As a result, more and more responsibilities will be moved back to the states and local governments, if they haven’t already been, and many funds already allocated to some local projects will likely be clawed back.

This comes at a time when it appears funds for many other federal programs we and our neighbors rely upon, like food assistance and health care, also appear likely to be reduced. These changes, and others, will probably make the difficult financial situations many of our localities are currently facing even more challenging.

It’s been said that we should expect not-for-profit organizations like churches and community action agencies to pick up some of the slack. Unfortunately, we’re also seeing many of them close or have to reduce their operating budgets as they lose patrons and funding due to governmental and local economic changes caused by falling population and donor rates, and higher prices, among other issues.

What to do?

Think back to what we learned in school. Or think about some of the competition programs we watch on television. Or about how global wars are won.

When assigned a project in school, entering a competition on a television show, or engaging in a global conflict, the wisest of the wise quickly realize that one of the best ways to gain a competitive edge is to form alliances. It brings to mind the adage “two heads are better than one.” It explains why collaboration and teamwork can make such a significant difference. When two or more people or entities work together, they can often achieve far better results than they could working alone. This is because diverse ideas, perspectives, new resources, and skills are brought together to achieve a common goal.

Working together with others can significantly increase success. It can foster creative and innovative solutions. Collaborating with others can lead to increased efficiency, economies of scale, and greater strength. It also allows for shared risks, reducing the burden of unexpected negative outcomes across a broader group. This creates greater stability and resilience for all.

Well-thought-out strategic alliances can help us manage some of the issues we are seeing in our local municipalities now. No one likes opening a tax, water, or any other bill and seeing an enormous increase. It’s time we stopped merely complaining and did something about these rapidly rising rates. We need to work together to insist that our municipalities look more seriously into consolidating more services with neighboring communities. There are so many advantages to this strategy. Not only could it reduce the fees we must pay for these services, but it’s likely to improve them. That’s a big win-win for us all.

We need these services, and we need them to be more cost-efficient while not only remaining effective but also steadily improving their operations. The answer is more consolidation.

It’s high time more of our elected representatives realized that the days of “rugged individualism” are long over. We must put our heads and our funding streams together to survive. It’s time more of our schools, police, fire, water, and public works departments consolidated more services with their neighboring communities.

The Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation’s Local Economic Development Committee believes there are significant advantages to alliances and collaborations. We can and must do more of it. If we don’t, we will face ever more serious issues. We need look no further than the ecological disasters and transportation crashes we are witnessing across the country, and at the increasing bills in our mailboxes.

Patty Hammond is Economic Development Coordinator at the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation. The Local Economic Development (LED) Initiative is a standing committee of the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation (NCCF). Send comments or suggestions to Patty Hammond at phammond@nccfoundation.org.