ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : When Less Is at Least the Same

Orange County cities witnessed the long budget deliberations in Sacramento knowing that they could do little to deflect the blow. Now some creative localities are wisely pooling resources to cover their unavoidable wounds. It’s an effort to maintain services by sharing costs.

Four cities in the northern part of the county thus have what may be a model for others. With combined population of about 60,000, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Cypress and La Palma are talking about combining police dispatching, disaster preparedness, animal control services, purchasing and vehicle maintenance. And some cities have already agreed to use a common court liaison officer and a consultant to help them handle a problem shared by everyone--garbage.

The idea is to avoid using a joint-powers agreement that would create a new, costly level of government. For cities trying to get more--or at least the same--punch with less expense and bureaucracy, that’s a sound approach. And existing mutual-aid fire services agreements show that the approach can work.

There’s food for thought here for the newer areas of South County that are drawn to establish their own municipalities. Some of the older northern cities are looking to tap a single existing provider of shared services, which is similar to what the county does already for unincorporated areas.

The lesson for the unincorporated: Beware the lure of incorporation in recessionary times. It’s nice to have a separate identity, but remember that someone must pay for and provide services.

Those who are intoxicated with cityhood may learn the hard way from older areas that are rediscovering the joy of sharing. Indeed, some fundamental assumptions about what local and county government can accomplish inevitably are being reassessed in these tough times.

Orange County, which already has a reputation for efficiency, is also searching for new ways to save money. The county took a $35-million hit--part of a $1.8-billion cut to the state’s 58 counties--during this year’s budget debacle in Sacramento.

Nor are things expected to get much better in the next go-around. Court funding, libraries, assistance to the poor and fire districts already have sustained deep cuts. The county has wisely begun to identify other areas that can expect further cutbacks if the state’s economy does not improve.

Orange County is also working with other counties to develop a plan to lobby more effectively on behalf of county government in the state Capitol. In this, counties are taking their cue from the cities--who worked together to avoid deeper cuts this year.

All in all, it’s good that government at the local and county level in Orange County is not taking the budget crunch lying down.