Inter-agency Coordination

An Example from City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania

In the City of Lancaster, PA, the City’s goal is to manage 750 million gallons of stormwater and the City has completed over 60 projects including green roofs and rain gardens across many types of property. The work is financed by a combination of fee revenue grants, and bonds, including low-cost debt from Pennvest (Pennsylvania’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund).

To ensure that the construction of the distributed green infrastructure located on non-utility property is well-coordinated, the City’s Stormwater Division budget includes line items to pay for other City agencies’ work to build green stormwater infrastructure projects on publicly owned land such as city parks and streets. For example, by providing funding for employees of the City’s Streets department, the Stormwater Division is able to ensure that the GSI practices on streets are built to the Stormwater Division’s specifications. Similarly, the Stormwater Division funds positions in the Parks Department to maintain the trees and shrubbery that form part of GSI installations on Parks Department land. This close coordination is facilitated by the City’s organizational structure, shown in the chart below, in which the Streets, Parks, and Stormwater departments are all part of a larger Department of Public Works.