A joint powers authority (JPA) is an entity permitted under the laws of some
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
s, whereby two or more public authorities (e.g.
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state.
Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...
s, or utility or transport districts), not necessarily located in the same state, may jointly exercise any power common to all of them. Joint powers authorities may be used where:
* an activity naturally transcends the boundaries of existing public authorities. An example is the
Transbay Joint Powers Authority
The San Francisco Transbay development is a completed redevelopment plan for the neighborhood surrounding the Salesforce Transit Center site, South of Market (San Francisco), South of Market near the Financial District (San Francisco), Financial ...
, set up to promote the construction of a new transit center in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, with several transportation boards and counties around the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
as members.
* by combining their commercial efforts, public authorities can achieve
economies of scale
In microeconomics, economies of scale are the cost advantages that enterprises obtain due to their scale of operation, and are typically measured by the amount of Productivity, output produced per unit of cost (production cost). A decrease in ...
or market power. An example is National IPA, a purchasing consortium of local government and education agencies, also known as cooperative purchasing.
Joint powers authorities are particularly widely used in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
(where they are permitted under
Section 6502 of the Government Code),
but they are also found in other states.
A joint powers authority is distinct from the member authorities; they have separate operating boards of directors. These boards can be given any of the powers inherent in all of the participating agencies. The authorizing agreement states the powers the new authority will be allowed to exercise. The term, membership, and standing orders of the board of the authority must also be specified. The joint authority may employ staff and establish policies independently of the constituent authorities.
Joint powers authorities receive existing powers from the creating governments; thus, they are distinct from
special districts, which receive new delegations of
sovereign
''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...
power from the
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
.
See also
*
Local federation
Municipalities of Sweden, Municipalities and County councils of Sweden, county councils in Sweden may form local federations () and transfer to such federations the management of local government concerns. When a local federation attends to a matte ...
, a similar entity in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
*
Mancomunidad
In present-day Spain, a ''mancomunidad'' (
*
*
*
*
*
) is an association of municipalities voluntarily established by some municipalities with the aim of carrying out joint projects or providing common services.
A mancomunidad is one of ...
, a similar entity in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Details of the Transbay JPA on the Transbay project websiteCalifornia Association of Joint Powers AuthoritiesSection 6500 et seq. of the California State Government code
Local government in the United States
Local government in California
Purchasing consortia