Former Allegheny County Executive Jim Roddey says he first proposed the idea of consolidating some city and county government functions to then-Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy in 2003. But the mayor didn't go for it.

Since then, regional leaders have consistently done nothing meaningful about consolidation of services in city and county operations, and the latest push for a mostly political union of both governments is doomed to fail, Mr. Roddey told the Post-Gazette editorial board last week.

A commission last year recommended that Pittsburgh and Allegheny County push for a full merger of governments into one entity while leaving suburban communities separate.

The commission, led by University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, called for the creation of one metro government, much like the one that the city of Louisville and Jefferson County in Kentucky adopted in 2000.

Since then, however, 14 months have gone by and no substantive recommendations of the commission-- like the creation of a compact of understanding between the city and county, and the approval of enabling legislation to bring the proposal to a vote this year-- have been taken up by city and county governments or the state Legislature.

Early this month, regional leaders held a forum to discuss the fundamentals of consolidation, but failed to agree on its urgency. And in Harrisburg, there has been no movement toward legislation that would be needed to allow a voter referendum on consolidation.

Mr. Roddey, who was the county's first executive, together with former county Manager Bob Webb, said the push for consolidation will most likely fail because of a lack of political leadership and the city's outstanding debt obligations.

And if the plan is brought to a referendum vote soon, both in the city and in the suburbs, Mr. Roddey said, "I'm almost certain it would fail."

That, he said, is because the proposal seems to lack real support at all levels of government, from city and county councils to the state Legislature.

"[Mayor Luke Ravenstahl] gives it lip service and it is unlikely county government will support the plan until after November 2010," Mr. Roddey said. County Executive Dan Onorato is expected to run for governor next year.

Joanna Doven, a spokeswoman for Mr. Ravenstahl, did not return calls for comment.

But Kevin Evanto, a spokesman for Mr. Onorato, said the county has saved more than $22 million in the consolidation of services with the city since the administration took office in 2004.

"[Mr. Onorato's] record speaks for itself," Mr. Evanto said.

Functional consolidation of services is already under way, he said, citing the county's merger of five 911 centers; joint purchasing of commodities, electricity, and the county's takeover of fingerprinting services for the city.

But Mr. Roddey argued that instead of pushing for political consolidation of both governments in the first place, leaders should be pushing for a broader consolidation of operations, particularly in key areas like the parks and public works departments.

For example, he said, the city of Pittsburgh spends some $4.5 million a year to maintain its 2,000 acres of park land. Allegheny County, which has 12,000 acres of park land, could take on the city's 2,000 acres and still operate the joint park system for about $3 million.

"Right there, the city could save $1.5 million," he said, adding that a functional consolidation of both governments will mostly benefit the city and won't necessarily increase costs of operation for the county.

The consolidation of parks and public works departments, he said, would be the first step in the merging of other government operations like records storage, telecommunications, vehicle fleet and information technology, among others.

"The cost of not doing this is the ultimate failure of city government," Mr. Roddey said, adding that city officials, by their own admission, agree the city will be faced with significant budget deficits, including a negative fund balance as soon as 2012.