The Collins Report        
Volume 2, Issue 5
May/2010
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Regionalization Advisory Commission Issues Report

Massachusetts RegionsThe Regionalization Advisory Commission, established by statute and chaired by Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, recently released its final report, which contained key findings and recommendations regarding inter-municipal collaboration and combined service delivery. Collins Center Deputy Director Steve McGoldrick and Program Manager Michael Herbert provided critical staff assistance to the Commission as it conducted hearings, researched the issues and completed its work.  The Commission established eleven areas of inquiry and presented detailed recommendations in the report specific to each of those areas: education, elder services, municipal finance, green communities, housing and economic development, information technology, libraries, public health, public safety, transportation and public works, and veterans' services.

The Commission acknowledged that, as the costs of providing municipal services soar faster than available revenues, local governments are struggling to provide them. Regionalization, in its many forms, offers a solution for how cities and towns can not only achieve economies of scale but also deliver local services more effectively and efficiently.  Existing examples of successful inter-municipal collaborations cited by the Commission include:  the Franklin Regional Council of Government's provision of accounting services to 11 towns; the state Department of Public Health's tobacco control contracts; the regional 911 grant program established by the Executive Office of Public Safety; the Computer Software Consortium Model, which is used by 75 Massachusetts communities; and multiple public safety, solid waste management and water districts throughout the Commonwealth.

The Commission, together with the Legislature's Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Governments and the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies, is now holding hearings on the final report. In addition, both the Massachusetts House of Representative and the Senate have passed versions of a "municipal relief" package that are currently being reconciled by a Conference Committee. The Commission's full report can be found by clicking here.
Collins Helps Lowell Win $5 Million Energy Grant
ARRA OneAs part of its work coordinating municipal grant applications to the Federal stimulus program, the Center helped the city of Lowell win a $5 million award to improve energy efficiency in some of the City's oldest Historic District buildings.  Senator John Kerry, Representative Niki Tsongas and Mayor Jim Milinazzo announced the grant's award recently in Lowell's Lawrence Mills Park along the Western Canal.  Senator Kerry praised the city's "creative and quality proposal" and Congresswoman Tsongas praised the "innovative planners who wrote the Lowell proposal". The grant application prevailed in heavy competition for funding from other municipalities and states. Lowell is one of 25 recipients of these National Recovery Act "Retrofit Ramp-up" grants across the country, and the only community in Massachusetts to receive one.

Collins Center Analyzes Opportunities for Shared Services on Martha's Vineyard
New Report Points toward Several Areas for Greater Sharing or Regionalization of Services

Martha's VineyardAt the request of the Martha's Vineyard Commission, the Center recently completed a report on opportunities for shared services or regionalization on the island. Titled "Analysis of the Delivery of Public Services on Martha's Vineyard," the report included an inventory of the existing services provided by municipal governments and regional entities on the island, and it provided an assessment of possible options for sharing or regionalization. Collins Center Associate Warren Rutherford, an experienced former Massachusetts municipal administrator and an expert in management and organizational issues, researched and wrote the report.

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Center Completes Middleborough Information Technology Assessment
IT imageThe Center just completed an Independent Information Technology Assessment for the Town of Middleborough and the Middleborough School Department.  Town officials requested that the Center evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the procurement and deployment of Information Technology throughout a majority of Town departments, including the Schools. The assessment reviewed the planning for future expansion as well as the Town's current data and network security measures, its disaster recovery plan and the systems in place to protect the Town's equipment.

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About Ed Collins
Throughout his outstanding public career, Edward J. Collins, Jr. epitomized the spirit and goals of the Center that now bears his name.  We at the Collins Center are proud to continue the work of Ed's life - helping governments work effectively and productively for the benefit of their citizens.

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