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Massachusetts Municipal Performance Management Program Seeks Cities and Towns to Participate in Second Round
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Participants Receive Technical Assistance for Starting or Expanding Performance Management Efforts
With funding from the state, the Collins Center is preparing to launch a second round of the Municipal Performance Management Program. This innovative program provides assistance to Massachusetts municipalities looking to tune up or establish a performance management program or to improve their usage of data in management and policy-making.
In particular, this program will launch or update CitiStat (or similar) performance management programs in participating communities, starting with a focus on the Police Department and the Public Works Department (or equivalent divisions), and with the potential to move into other departments depending on the pace of the work. CitiStat is a leadership strategy that involves the mayor or city/town manager/administrator holding regular meetings with department heads where they use data to analyze the department's past performance, follow-up on previous decisions, establish performance objectives, and examine the effectiveness of the department's strategies.
Participating municipalities will receive the assistance of a trained analyst for roughly one day per week for five months, as well as additional training and support. In return, those municipalities will be required to sign a memorandum of understanding making certain commitments as part of the work and will pay a $500 participation fee. (At the end of five months, municipalities will have options for paying to continue the work at a variety of levels and prices.)
Municipalities selected to participate will be placed into one of two cohorts. The first cohort will begin in early March, the second in August. The total number of municipalities selected will depend on a variety of factors.
Municipalities will be selected based on their level of commitment to the work and based on the need to create a set of municipalities that reflects the diversity of the Commonwealth's cities and towns and also fit together geographically. (Special consideration will be given to municipalities not selected for the first round that re-apply for this round.)
The complete application is available here and is due by February 8. The list of selected communities will be announced by February 15.
For further information, please contact Michael Ward at michael.ward@umb.edu or 617.287.4824.
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Visit with Collins Center Staff at 2013 MMA Annual Meeting and Trade Show
|  The Collins Center joins more than 200 exhibitors at the Massachusetts Municipal Association's 2013 Annual Meeting and Trade Show, being held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston this Friday and Saturday, January 25 and 26. The theme of this year's meeting, which is the largest regular gathering of Massachusetts local government officials, is, "Pathways to Progress and Prosperity: Local Leaders Look Ahead."
Collins Center experts in regionalization, charter change, performance management, including municipal management, and finance, as well as the Center's executive recruitment team will be available to answer questions and provide you with information about the many services the Center offers cities and towns.
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Calling on Women in Government
| Build on what you know to impact policy and advance your career! The graduate Program for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston merges theory, practical experience, and professional development opportunities to foster women's leadership in all areas of politics and public policy. Offered by the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, the one-year 18-credit graduate certificate prepares women to serve at all levels of government, take on leadership roles in nonprofit organizations, hold elected office, and pursue advanced degrees. Courses are held two evenings a week; an internship component is individualized to suit interests, goals, and schedules. More info: pwppp@umb.edu or 617.287.6785.
Also
Please join us for an engaging dialogue with Fatma Senol, visiting Fulbright scholar from Turkey, who will present her research findings on Women Candidates for Municipal Elected Office: Decisions, Resources, and Structures. On tuesday, February 12, 2013 from 4:30-6:00 p.m. at the UMass Boston Campus Center, as part of the center's Leading Women Event Series on Women's Public Leadership.
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Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's New England Public Policy Center Hosts Forum on Regionalization in Municipal Government in New England
| Continuing the dialogue on regionalization efforts in Massachusetts, the New England Public Policy Center will be hosting a public forum titled "Regional Consolidation of Local Government Services in New England: Opportunities and Challenges in Realizing Greater Cost Efficiencies" on Thursday, February 14, 2013 from 8:00 am to 10:30 am. The forum will feature new research by the Boston Fed's New England Public Policy Center exploring if and how local governments in New England could save through greater consolidation of public safety, public health, and high-level government administration services. It also will include a panel discussion of the opportunities for and challenges in realizing savings through greater regional consolidation, as well as the merits of state policies promoting this goal. For more information on this forum, please visit the New England Public Policy Center website: www.bostonfed.org/economic/neppc/conferences/2013/index.htm.
The Collins Center has done significant work on regionalization and regional service sharing projects, including staffing the Lieutenant Governor's Regionalization Advisory Commission, writing a report for the Martha's Vineyard Commission on regionalization opportunities on the island, developing a pilot regional inspectional services program for the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, working on a review of local dispatch regionalization initiatives, and assisting six towns in Worcester County to develop intermunicipal agreements around purchasing and personnel management.
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The Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
Phone: 617. 287.4824
FAX: 617.287.5566
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Volume 5, Issue 1
January, 2013
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Collins Center in the News
Holyoke Would Merge City, School, HG&E Personnel Departments
Masslive.com, January 14, 2013
Funding for New Elementary School in South Hadley Tops Town Meeting Warrant
The Springfield Republican, January 07, 2013
Pittsfield Charter Committee Discards City Manager Option
iBerkshires.com, January 04, 2013
Consultants Find Improvement Opportunities in Town Hall Departments
Carlisle Mosquito, December 12, 2012
Great Barrington Town Manager Search Begins
Berkshire Eagle, December 02, 2012
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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.
More about Ed
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