Whether that's in transportation, environmental quality or economic development, councilors said, the interconnected nature of the region means that no city can be an island.
"We're going to see more of that interdependence, and people have to recognize it," said Metro Council President Tom Hughes.
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Metro Councilors stress importance of regional ties
In interviews during the last two months, some regional mayors said they want to have more independence from the regional government, whether that's through creating their own solutions to regional mandates, or through opting out of new systems, such as a proposal from earlier this year to create a regional parks district.
See also: Senate bill would allow Metro to create regional natural areas district (March 4, 2011)
"We have our authorities, and we're trying to do the best we can within what we have," said Councilor Rex Burkholder. "Because we're regionally elected, and not from a jurisdiction, we have a regional perspective and it's going to be a little different. It's going to be about what works for the most people, what moves us all forward."
Councilor Carlotta Collette, a former Milwaukie city councilor, said the regional relationship cuts both ways. While the regional government may ask cities to implement policies that the cities didn't directly help develop, it's also available to help implement those policies.
"We have staff that is excellent at working with our local communities and helping them achieve their aspirations, whether it's cleaning up a brownfield or doing storefront improvements through a grant, or helping them build a neighborhood park," Collette said.
Those efforts are easier when approached by a jurisdiction of 1.5 million people than by a city of 20,000.
"The reason we formed a region is you can't always get those things, and you certainly can't pay for them, if you're one individual city," she said. "You can if you're part of a regional body that pushes at the federal, state and local level to get funding for those kinds of things."
Hughes, a former Hillsboro mayor, said it's important for cities to maintain their individual character. But, Hughes said, Metro has a responsibility to do what the voters ask of it, and an expectation to make sure policies are enforced fairly among cities.
"We're an elected government, and we're a government that has two people on the council that represent every citizen in the community," Hughes said. "We have things that folks have told us through charter and funding they want us to do, so we're going to do those things."