If not the whole bagel, half would still be good

As a matter of fact, we view the four towns as one in many ways, but in purely practical terms joining just two would be very good start.

In any large city, the populations of Electric City, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam and Elmer City would barely qualify as a neighborhood, let alone four municipalities each with separate mayors and councils, budgets to work out and utility bills to track. Combining the towns seems so obviously a good idea.

But smaller steps often make the start of a long and worthy journey.

Two of the cities already share so much that the idea of consolidating them seems to call for a Homer Simpson-style slap on the forehead. Grand Coulee and Electric City share a sewer system and, effectively, a water system. At the moment they also share a police department, but that marriage is on the rocks. And each of those shared arrangement requires the cities to track and bill each other.

Now Electric City, not having the money Grand Coulee wants for the police services it has provided for decades, is looking at alternatives, none of which are good.

The problem presents an opportunity. Now would be a good time for city leaders to start talking about how combining cities might be beneficial to each of them, make governance more efficient and service to citizens better.

We might not get the whole bagel right away, but half, maybe with a little cream cheese, would still taste pretty good.

Scott Hunter

editor and publisher