146 Public Administration Review • December 2006 • Special Issue

Responding to increasing service-level demands

in an environment of limited resources, all

levels of government are facing choices that

involve collaboration as a means of making the best

possible use of scarce resources. In 1997, the City

of Charlotte made the choice to collaborate with

Mecklenburg County on the joint use of facilities.

As a result, Charlotte embarked on an unanticipated

journey of collaborative capital planning within

the city organization that has produced signifi cant

benefi ts for more than 10 years.

Now the 25th-largest city in the country, Charlotte’s

population and square mileage have grown 36 percent

and 35 percent, respectively, over the past 10 years.

To keep pace with these growth rates, Charlotte has

planned $2.5 billion in infrastructure construction

over the next fi ve years. Planning and implementing

capital projects such as neighborhood improvements,

roads, economic development initiatives, government

facilities, and coordination with county schools and

jails — all in an environment characterized by consid-

erable fi nancial constraints — requires good collabora-

tive processes. As the Charlotte Citizens Capital

Needs Advisory Committee noted in 1996, “A key

[to capital planning] is the development of interde-

partmental and agency coordination strategies.

Coordination strategies should achieve economies in

implementation, continuous methods improvement

and linkages in interdepartmental missions.”

In 1997, both the Mecklenburg County Commission

and the Charlotte City Council adopted resolutions

supporting the joint use of facilities. Th is resolution

served as a catalyst for the creation of a collaborative

Joint Use Task Force composed of mid-level managers

from both governments that would be responsible for

capital program planning and implementation for all

political jurisdictions within Mecklenburg County.

Th e task force’s charge was to review, become familiar

with, and share information on long-range master

plans, 10-year capital needs, and fi ve-year fi nancing

plans. Th e purpose of the task force was to identify

potential collaborative opportunities. Th e task force

continues to meet monthly to consider a structured

agenda consisting of the following items:

● A presentation prepared by selected agency staff

to educate the full team about agency capital plan-

ning initiatives

● A required approval from the task force for

land development improvements initiated by local

governments

● A roundtable discussion of potential collabora-

tive opportunities

A key benefi t of these meetings is the opportunity they

provide for staff members to get to know those who

make capital project planning and funding decisions.

Th e regular meetings make it possible for middle man-

agers to interact, enabling them to literally pick up the

phone and get things done quickly. Th e achievements of

the task force are a testimony to its exemplary success:

● A police district offi ce, job links center, and

library co-located along a business corridor in need

of stabilization and revitalization

Kim Eagle Philip Cowherd City of Charlotte, North Carolina

Collaborative Capital Planning in Charlotte – Mecklenburg

County, North Carolina

Letters from the Field 147

● Annexation fi re stations located at the entrances

of a park and an elementary school

● A park-and-ride facility co-located with an

elementary school

● A town hall co-located with a library

● A high school media center combined with a

neighborhood library

Applying the Joint Use Task Force Model within the City Th e task force process has been emulated by the City

of Charlotte, where mid-level capital program manag-

ers from city departments are members of a Capital

Investment Plan (CIP) Staff Review Team. Th is team

is responsible for identifying, planning, and imple-

menting capital programs. To accomplish this work,

the team relies on collaborative tools, such as the

following:

● Strategic direction from the city manager to

communicate city council priorities

● Web-based geographic information systems that

provide displays for groupings of capital projects

● Specialized ad hoc subteams created to address

unique collaborative opportunities, resulting in

enhanced communication and coordination for

multiagency projects

● Packaging of multiple projects into one construc-

tion contract to save money and reduce inconve-

nience to motorists and neighborhoods

Lessons Learned — The Three Cs: Champion, Communicate, and Culture Th e lessons learned from collaboration in capital

planning in Charlotte – Mecklenburg County have

been numerous, but three areas of learning rise to the

top as keys to continued success: Designating some-

one to champion and lead the eff ort, communicating

clearly and continuously, and instilling collaboration

into the institutional culture have been fundamental

to Charlotte’s success.

● Having staff who are dedicated to championing

the eff ort and stressing the importance of collabo-

ration — which is translated through Charlotte’s

balanced scorecard objective to develop collabora-

tive solutions — is extremely important to keeping

collaboration and its accomplishment a visible, top

priority and meaningful at all levels of the organiza-

tion. Th e capital planning coordinator in Charlotte

leads this eff ort. Th e role of the coordinator is

characterized by fl exibility and openness.

Because the city manager’s offi ce is involved in the

development of key capital project requests, it is

incumbent upon the CIP coordinator to be fl exible

in adjusting the process. For example, the role of the

transportation cabinet (composed of the manager’s

staff and key department heads) in promoting a

high level of visibility was instrumental in

achieving a recommended bond program to fund

capital needs.

● Capital projects that have citywide impacts and

command cooperation from multiple departments

necessitate coordination and communication at

the beginning of the process. In Charlotte, it was

a problem when several departments requested

the same capital improvement project. Th erefore,

coordination in implementation is now addressed

in a proactive manner whenever possible. Clear and

explicit communication of expectations early in the

capital planning process has proved to be a valuable

tool in Charlotte for mitigating cooperation prob-

lems. Issues such as power and control of capital

project planning, funding, and implementation-

related concerns over shared goals and adequate levels

of trust are eased in Charlotte by a concentrated

focus on communication.

● Having a culture that supports collaboration

across governmental lines is key to success and re-

quires that all levels of the organization be brought

into the process. Collaboration in Charlotte has

become institutionalized in the culture of the

organization in a way that has made it inherent

in the way capital planning is conducted — not

something extra to merely report on or meet

about. For example, a joint City – County Planning

Commission, even in the years before the city

experienced rapid growth, aggressively employed

community planning tools to realize well-managed

growth objectives. As the community has changed

and visions have shifted, the commission has

proactively advocated growth policies that refl ect

these changes.

Without a consistent focus on shared needs and

outcomes, putting collaboration into action is

diffi cult. Results are not instant. Collaboration

takes time and a commitment to shared ownership

of the process and integration for the purpose

of achieving outcomes that benefi t all parties

involved.