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November 18, 2009

County Consolidation in Nebraska: Is Less More?

 

Having 93 counties in Nebraska does not make sense. The latest study released Wednesday, Nov. 18, by the Platte Institute for Economic Research suggests that consolidating some county-level services into 20 of the more centrally located 85 county seats outside of the Omaha and Lincoln metropolitan area makes geographic sense.

 

The report, authored by Dr. Paul Burger and Dr. H. Jason Combs of the University of Nebraska-Kearney, states that Nebraska counties were originally designed to be, “small enough that any resident of a county could journey to the seat of government on horseback or by stagecoach, transact business, and return home before nightfall.”

 

While transportation and methods for transacting business have changed drastically in the last century, Nebraska’s counties are still the same. The Platte Institute feels this study gives citizens and lawmakers the tools necessary for beginning the process of consolidating Nebraska counties – a process which is long overdue.

 County Consolidation Study