Louisville Transformed but Hardly Changed: A Survey of a City Before and After Merger

City-county consolidation (merger) is one of the most radical reforms local governments can undertake. This is because it abolishes small jurisdictions, relocates power in central decision makers, and is rarely reversed. It is not surprising that consolidations have been relatively infrequent in the United States. Since the nineteenth century, less than 20 percent of referenda have been passed by local electorates and only thirty-four have come into effect (Leland and Thurmaier, 2000).