Institute for Local Government Releases New Publication
by Carmen Pereira
The Institute for Local Government has published "A Local Official’s Guide to Intergovernmental Conflict Resolution," which aims to help local agencies resolve the problems and challenges that emerge when they find themselves in a dispute with one another.
The guide was published thanks to the generous support of McDonough Holland & Allen PC and the JAMS Foundation.
This guide contains information on the causes and consequences of inter-agency disputes, discusses different conflict resolution strategies to address these differences and offers guidance on finding and selecting a conflict resolution provider.
There is also a discussion of when public officials should consider a conflict resolution approach. The advice is to not wait until positions have hardened, unfortunate statements have been made, or the public has begun to take sides.
Rather, think about a conflict resolution option when: • State law or some other regulation requires two (or more) local agencies to work together, and disagreements are beginning to emerge.
• One or more of the agencies says ,“We’ve been here before and we didn’t work it out very well then, so let’s try something different.”
• Agencies disagree on public policy, and one or more are considering using “legal technicalities” to settle a public policy dispute. • You find yourself saying, “They just don’t understand what I’ve said.” Or, “I wish they would tell us what they really mean.” • Differences are threatening to cause gridlock.
Hard copies of "A Local Official’s Guide to Intergovernmental Conflict Resolution" are being mailed to local officials throughout California as well as to each state league of cities and association of counties. NLC is also helping to disseminate this new guide to city officials around the country. In addition, the publication is available online without charge at www.ca-ilg.org/intergovtconflictresolution. Hardcopy versions may be ordered from the institute for $10 each or at discounted bulk rates. See the institute publication order form at www.ca-ilg.org/ilgpubs for more details.
This publication is the first product of the institute’s new Intergovernmental Conflict Resolution Program, which will offer a range of resources to local officials relating to the use of alternate dispute resolution strategies and processes to address disputes between public agencies.
The Intergovernmental Conflict Resolution Program is supported by the JAMS Foundation. JAMS, a provider of private dispute resolution services, established the non-profit JAMS Foundation to offer financial assistance for conflict resolution initiatives with national or international impact and to share its dispute resolution experience and expertise for the benefit of the public interest.
Details: The Institute for Local Government is the nonprofit research affiliate of the League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties. The institute’s mission is to develop forward-thinking resources to help local officials in their service to their communities. For information, please email Carmen Pereira at cpereira@ca-ilg.org.
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