Intergovernmental planning coordination: The Utah Experience

This report describes the approach and process used in Utah to provide for intergovernmental planning coordination. Since planning is essential to provide decision makers with information on possible courses of future action, it is also essential that decisions affecting future investments in governmental goods and services by accomplished in a coordinated, consistent and efficient manner. There are three important features of the Utah approach to accomplish such coordination: (1) it provides for the direct participation of affected and interested parties on an intergovernmental basis, i.e., local, state and federal governmental agencies as well as private citizens; (2) it encourages decision making to be made to the greatest extent possible at the local level; and (3) it encourages the development of a planning process, which includes an awareness of possible future events and a common data base predicated on such contingencies, that can adjust to and accommodate change as opposed to fixed projections which usually provide the basis of governmental plans. Governmental decisions and actions do have long run consequences and the task of relating a multitude of policies, plans and programs to one another in a coordinated and consistent way to accomplish desired results is of vital interest to the state. The success of intergovernmental planning coordination experienced in Utah has been possible only through the willingness of the citizens, elected officials, and governmental directors and staff to look beyond the confines of geographical, political and agency boundaries and jurisdictions to identify common problems and to join together in developing common solutions.