Staff and Faculty Journal Articles
Document Type
Article
Keywords
Leadership; Communication; Conflict resolution; Environmental policy; Municipal government
Identifier Data
https://doi.org/10.1108/TCJ-02-2020-0007
Publisher
Emerald
Rights Management
Emerald allows authors to deposit their AAM under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial International Licence 4.0 (CC BY-NC 4.0). To do this, the deposit must clearly state that the AAM is deposited under this licence and that any reuse is allowed in accordance with the terms outlined by the licence. To reuse the AAM for commercial purposes, permission should be sought by contacting permissions@emeraldinsight.com. For the sake of clarity, commercial usage would be considered as, but not limited to: o Copying or downloading AAMs for further distribution for a fee; o Any use of the AAM in conjunction with advertising; o Any use of the AAM by for promotional purposes by for-profit organisations; o Any use that would confer monetary reward, commercial gain or commercial exploitation. Emerald appreciates that some authors may not wish to use the CC BY-NC licence; in this case, you should deposit the AAM and include the copyright line of the published article. Should you have any questions about our licensing policies, please contact permissions@emeraldinsight.com.
Abstract
From 2012-2017, the communities of Woonsocket and North Smithfield engaged in a protracted dispute concerning wastewater disposal. For thirty years, the two jurisdictions had maintained a signed service agreement. Following its expiration, however, Woonsocket imposed a new host fee on North Smithfield. Woonsocket needed to upgrade the facility in order to comply with mandates from the RI Department of Environmental Management. Over the next five years, leaders from both jurisdictions vociferously fought over the new fee. At the same time, leaders within communities experienced their own divisions. This case study highlights the challenges that decision makers faced in both communities. This case study draws on interviews conducted with officials from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, City of Woonsocket, and Town of North Smithfield. Additionally, it pulls from relevant legal documents, recordings and minutes from meetings of the Woonsocket City Council and North Smithfield Town Council, City Council resolutions, state legislation, and local press coverage. This case is appropriate for graduate and executive level courses in environmental policy, communication, and leadership.
Comments
Published in The CASE Journal, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.