With the challenges of government more complex than ever before — from economic recovery, local jobs creation and transportation infrastructure — the need for more efficient and responsive government along with intergovernmental cooperation has never been more critical.

Thanks to a strong focus on partnerships and collaboration as central to how we do business, the city of Marysville and neighboring governments in North Snohomish County along the I-5 corridor are in an enviable position to meet these regional and local challenges head-on for the betterment of our respective communities. In this column, I’m going to focus most of the attention on economic development.

For a recent example of this collaboration in action, the Marysville City Council and Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors held a rare joint meeting at City Hall in December.

At the meeting, Tulalip Chairman Mel Sheldon and I, with pens in hand, signed a handful of agreements beneficial to both Marysville and Tulalip following approval by both the Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors and the Marysville City Council.  One of the agreements addresses ongoing graffiti defacing the 116th Street pedestrian bridge over I-5 by creating barriers at both ends to make it inaccessible to taggers (with costs shared by the city and Tribes).  Another formalized annual restriping of the 88th and 116th I-5 overpasses, with each government taking turns doing the work every other year.

More important to meeting our mutual long-term goals, we signed a joint resolution between Marysville, Arlington and the Tribes supporting regional coordination of a manufacturing and industrial center to support the Boeing Company and manufacturing and supplier expansion in North Snohomish County. We can thank the Planning Commissions of Marysville and Arlington for suggesting the resolution as a declaration of our mutual commitment to foster aerospace, manufacturing and industrial growth in the Smokey Point area, and to both the Tulalip Tribes Board and the Marysville City Council for voting their passage.

Arlington Municipal Airport and the Smokey Point area comprise a major employment center within the entire county, and its strategic value to the regional economy is only going to continue to climb.

That was a key message last May when Marysville, Arlington and the Tulalip Tribes came together to host the North Snohomish County Economic Summit at the Tulalip Resort. We used the opportunity to reinforce our message to prospective business ventures that our governments are working collaboratively to create a more prosperous and thriving future for our businesses and families. We each had assets to tout that we believe give North Snohomish County a competitive edge in attracting new business investment as the economy revives and employment rates rebound — Cabela’s and 2,000 “shovel ready” acres in Quil Ceda Village, 1,000-plus acres of manufacturing and light industrial-zoned land on I-5 clustered within the Smokey Point planning area, 2,251 acres at Arlington Airport — you get the picture.

You cannot underestimate the significance of a united front among neighboring governments when courting a prospective corporation. A stable political and economic climate conducive to helping businesses succeed, available land, regulatory consistency, willingness to partner, strategic location and a skilled workforce are an unbeatable combination.

Our objective to promote the Smokey Point area as a potential manufacturing “supersite” for contractors and suppliers for the Boeing Company’s next generation 737s and 777s, KC-135 aerial refueling tanker, as well as other players in the aerospace industry and other manufacturing companies, involves many intergovernmental relationships across all levels of government.

Over the past year, I have been involved with Project Pegasus, directed by Seattle attorney Tayloe Washburn for Gov. Christine Gregoire. The primary focus has been on ensuring that the 737 MAX will be built in Washington state, which we now know Boeing announced last November will be assembled at its existing Renton facility. Just as importantly, Project Pegasus — and the Washington Aerospace Partnership — are working to ensure that Washington state remains the world’s preeminent aerospace hub against intense competition from other states who know that next generation jets in the Boeing line are waiting on the tarmac. The Smokey Point area was and remains a solid candidate as a supplier site for new aerospace and manufacturing.

Washburn visited Marysville last year to address elected leaders at a well-attended Snohomish County Cities and Towns meeting. He was encouraged by the turnout, and continues to applaud and encourage the significant work going on here to enhance our competitiveness in this area.

There are many other examples of venues where we build regularly on our intergovernmental relationships with the Tribes, county, and cities of Arlington, Everett, Lake Stevens, Stanwood, Granite Falls, Darrington, Mukilteo, Snohomish and others. For example, monthly meetings of the North County Mayors group, City-Tribes Governmental Affairs breakfasts, and staff-to-staff meetings all provide a forum to exchange ideas and mobilize on local and regional issues that that impact one or more of our jurisdictions and the citizens we represent.

My goal as Mayor remains to promote a collaborative atmosphere as the means towards creating a prosperous Marysville that we can all be proud of at the end of the day.

Mayor Jon Nehring can be reached at mayor@marysvillewa.gov or 360-363-8091.