TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce has released its findings on a study looking into a consolidation of city and county governments.

The study was done by the Washington Economics Group.

It shows a potential merger of Tallahassee and Leon County into one force could result in long term growth for the area within the first five years of consolidating.

Researchers suggest growth would be seen in employment, household income and gross domestic product.

The three best practices economist recommend in the study are:

Craft a charter that meets the community's economic development needs without losing the political support of key constituents. Show the average citizen voter that the current government structure is unable to achieve the economic vision that is key to their economic future. Create a new local government constitution that restructures the organization to effectively implement the proposed economic development vision and strategy.

The cities they used to compare and analyze Tallahassee to were Jacksonville, Athens, Nashville, Indianapolis and Louisville.

MOBILE USERS: Download our WTXL news app on your Apple and Android devices for the latest from South Georgia and North Florida. Also, download our WTXL First Alert Weather app for Apple and Android devices to get the latest local weather wherever you go.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for additional local news and hourly updates.