Regrouping on regionalization
Published on Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Reprinted from the Barnstable Patriot - Read entire story here
Regrouping on regionalization
The county commissioners remain committed to submitting a supplemental budget request after July 1 to support one or more regionalization projects.
Although the Assembly of Delegates excised $150,000 budgeted for such efforts, delegates indicated they’d be receptive to more specific requests in the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Delegates from three of the four towns that had requested a study of joint assessing operations voted against the item that would have funded the work.
At last month’s selectmen’s and councilors’ association meeting, Tom Geiler, Barnstable’s director of regulatory services, drew interest with his description of the town’s weights and measures service. Barnstable does these inspections for towns from Eastham to Bourne, according to Geiler.
Chatham Selectwoman Florence Seldin said Harwich and her town have set up a regional planning committee to examine school consolidation. She said it will “look not just at savings, but also benefits to students.” On the municipal side as well, she said, regionalization has to be about more than money; effectiveness is required.
Retiring Nauset Regional Schools Supt. Dr. Michael Gradone had another byword for regionalizers: governance. As someone who reports to four sets of selectmen, finance committees, school committees, and town meetings (and that doesn’t exhaust the list), he said his successor can look forward to possibly adding those groups in more towns someday.
It appears that regionalization may mean reorganization as well.
Regionalization rampant in NY Metro area
The May 21 New York Times reported rapid advances in government regionalization in its home area.
New York State has spent $29 million to help 140 governments consolidate functions just in the last two years, while New Jersey “began slashing aid to more than 300 communities with populations below 10,000 last year to pressure them to combine police, fire and trash collection services.”
“We’ve tried everything to coax these communities to the altar,” a New Jersey assemblyman told the Times. “What we need now is a few shotgun weddings.”