Samarinda and Tigard became Resource Cities Partners in 2001.  During the first two years of this partnership, Tigard and Samarinda worked on double-entry accounting and performance-based budgeting.  When Samarinda and Tigard were awarded with an extension in the form of a CityLinks partnership, they invited Balikpapan, a neighboring city and a former Resource Cities Program participant, to join the partnership.  Balikpapan and Samarinda decided that providing water for their citizens was of top concern and the topic upon which they wished to focus during the partnership.  Tigard, which has a well-earned reputation for strong water management skills, continues to be a perfect match for its Indonesian partners.

Partnership Objectives and Activities 

Although both cities desired to address the issue of water shortages and the pressing need to provide water to all their citizens, the two Indonesian partners chose to approach the issue from different angles. Balikpapan focused its efforts on water conservation by looking to reduce losses in the water system, while Samarinda chose to focus on improving the protection of its watershed. Both cities recognized the importance of including a public information component in their programs in order to gain the support of citizens and garner their assistance in addressing water scarcity issues. Both cities chose to implement their projects in a limited areas so that they could more easily test the effectiveness of their initiatives and make improvements where needed. If successful, the cities will expand these improvements citywide.

In addition to the participation of Tigard’s own city professionals, outside consultants were also invited to participate in the partnership. Consultants from Clean Water Services and Murray, Smith & Associates, Inc. regularly participated in exchanges held in Indonesia and the U.S. and contributed their services on a pro-bono basis. As a result of Tigard’s good relationships with the education community, the Tigard-Tualatin School District and The Muslem Educational Trust were also active participants in the CityLinks exchanges.