Throughout much of the fall local campaign season, we heard candidates for both Cayuga County and city of Auburn offices talk about the need for better cooperation between the two sides.

There's a long list of issues that have divided city and county leaders for years. The dispute over sales tax distribution is a prime example.

There are also new issues that have popped up in the past year, such as the rent for Auburn City Court space the county charges or the payments the city has made to help cover the county costs of Centro public transportation.

You can also be assured that more differences will surface in the future. That's the nature of local government.

But the key for both sides is to work these problems out on their own merits, and to establish long-term policies for working together in the future.

Unfortunately, we've been seeing the opposite scenario unfold regarding potential employers setting up shop in this county.

The latest example is a proposed cheese manufacturing plant in Aurelius. To make that project a reality, the county needs the city's help. The fact that such help has not been automatically given points to a broken system.

Anytime the county and city can work together to bring jobs to this area, it should be a no-brainer. A plant that employs dozens of workers will benefit both entities, and their respective taxpayers.

A potential project that helps the entire region should not be used as leverage to resolve other disputes. For one thing, it puts the project itself at great risk. More importantly, it sends a horrible message about the state of economic development services to any other potential employers, and to the New York state economic development officials who are witnessing the local dysfunction first-hand.