CHICO, Calif. -- Chico Mayor Andrew Coolidge is formally requesting that the Chico City Council engage in a discussion regarding the establishment of a coalition of governments.
The Chico City Council is nearing the end of Mayor Andrew Coolidge's term, presenting the final major item of his State of the City address: the North State Council of Governments.
This coalition aims to unite the largest cities north of Sacramento, including Chico, Red Bluff, Redding, and Marysville, through a joint powers agreement.
"The idea behind this is to bring all of the Northern California cities in the top of the valley together so we can actually have these conversations, start moving forward as a group, and an organized group, so we can obtain some of the state and federal funding," said Mayor Coolidge.
Funding efforts will primarily target critical improvements in several areas, including repairing interstate connections to facilitate better transportation, upgrading water and power services, and bolstering firefighting capabilities to protect communities from wildfires.
Mayor Coolidge highlighted that this collaborative group will act as a powerful united front, working diligently to secure essential financial resources for a variety of regions in Northstate. These initiatives aim to significantly improve the quality of life for residents by fostering safer, more efficient, and sustainable communities.
"[I've had some] really good conversations about this with leaders in other cities. There seems to be definitely a need for it and I think they see that need. Hopefully as this comes out of the council here it'll go on to other cities, they'll join into it, and we'll have that united voice," Mayor Coolidge told KRCR.
Municipal leaders, including mayors and supervisors, will play a vital role in representing the organization, alongside staff members from their respective counties.
Mayor Coolidge has expressed his optimism that the incoming city council will pick up right where he leaves off, continuing the essential work of forming the coalition aimed at enhancing collaboration and addressing community needs.
"I think it's something that'll end up in our staff's hands, and then they can go out and approach other cities kind of coalesce that interest in the organization, and then start to move forward from there. Eventually all these councils will have to agree, all these board of supervisors will have to agree to move forward with this, but I think it makes sense and is kind of a no brainer when you come to looking at the problems we're facing in Northern California and how to deal with them," Mayor Coolidge concluded.