Playing Smart changelabsolutions.org | kaboom.org 72 Setting the Work Group’s Vision Like any group that involves a diverse membership, the work group should have a clear vision and shared goals. In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the resolution lays out the broad vision the task force shares for local resources. In most communities, setting up joint use agreements will require coordination and cooperation among multiple existing agencies. More than likely, there will be politics involved in moving agreements forward; one agency will need to give something up while another gains something. Advocates for joint use need to educate themselves about local and interagency politics by talking to key stakeholders and learning about any past attempts to put joint use agreements or other similar collaborative agreements in place in the community. To that end, Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s joint use task force has developed a series of “screening questions” to help the task force evaluate whether specific projects or properties are suitable for joint use agreements. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Screening Questions:112 Is the land publicly owned? Is the land available, and what’s its status? (Is it for sale? Is it in probate?) What uses are a good fit for the land or facility? Are funds required to support a joint use agreement? Do the partners have access to necessary funds? Is coordination possible? What type of joint use is possible? What obstacles exist? Can those obstacles be overcome and at what cost? Do the advantages outweigh the challenges? With this screening process and its ongoing work to coordinate the use of a wide range of facilities, CharlotteMecklenburg’s joint use task force has helped reduce operational costs borne by certain agencies for underutilized facilities, ensured better cooperation among agencies, and built awareness around joint use issues and opportunities. “What needs to come first is a reasonable win-win agreement between reasonable adults. Each party must see this as an opportunity. If one or the other feels used, putting it in writing won’t help. Nor will it be successful.” – Mike Raible, Executive Director of Planning and Project Management, CharlotteMecklenburg Schools
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