Suburbs looking for ways to save, focus on regional issues

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By Marc Katz, Staff Writer 11:11 PM Sunday, February 12, 2012

Fourteen municipalities — 11 cities and three townships — have banded together during the last seven years to form a group called Dayton First Suburbs Consortium.

It is a group convinced it can not only band, but bond and make the greater Dayton area more regionalized.

So far, its success has been limited, although there is self-motivation to do more, and interest in the subject from outside sources, such as Montgomery County — which is holding a regionalization seminar at Sinclair Community College on Feb. 16.

“We’ve been doing a lot of research and programs,” said new First Suburbs chairman Steve Byington, who also is vice mayor of Oakwood. “It never goes beyond the meeting.

“We’re going to move away from that to identify one to two issues important to us. Say it’s transportation, roads and bridges, asphalt and salt — then come up with concepts we can formulate into a statement to send to our policymakers, whether it’s to the state or national level.”

First Suburbs originated as a term for the first ring of suburbs surrounding a core city, such as Dayton, although inclusion has been expanded to noncontiguous areas as well, such as Centerville and Clayton.

Other local cities involved are Huber Heights, Kettering, Miamisburg, Moraine, Oakwood, Riverside, Trotwood, Vandalia and West Carrollton. The townships are Harrison, Jefferson and Washington.

What they would like to do is find a way to combine services and save money rather than combine cities but even that is sometimes difficult.

First Suburbs meets once a month discussing the problems of older suburbs in a community given to sprawl, a poor economy and money leaving behind the old and seeking out the new.

Regionalization always is discussed, but not in ways that would combine communities such as Clayton and Englewood, Centerville and Washington Twp., Jefferson Twp. and Trotwood, or Beavercreek and Beavercreek Twp.

It discusses ways of sharing services to avoid duplication.

“One of main things we think is important, we do get along well and we get to know one another,” said Jack Jensen, former council member in West Carrollton and a retired DP&L employee who is the volunteer executive director of Dayton First Suburbs. “That serves as a solid basis for cooperation among groups. We haven’t been afraid over the years to discuss the issues. Everyone is trying to do what is best for their communities.”

“We have some of advantages of outer suburbs and some of challenges of the center city. A lot of people don’t think of that. Historically when you look at programs and support from state and local, it’s either designed for inner city or growth and expansion in the suburbs.

“We’ve been trying to educate our legislators. We’re kind of a hybrid of the two (city and suburb).

“Unfortunately right now, the problems come quicker than the solutions. We knew we had housing downturn and vacant properties. We knew we’d have that, but not to the extent.

“We’re starting to let the group decide which of all the concerns and challenges we have we should work on.”

Byington thinks the group must consolidate its plans, even if everyone doesn’t agree with them.

“There is a misconception you have to build consensus among everybody,” Byington said. “You don’t. First Suburbs wants to figure out what are the things we all share as common values and what do we want to fight for. We want to take those items on one item at a time, whether it’s sprawl or economic development.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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