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There are already many examples of shared services and facilities in Metro Boston, such as successful law enforcement councils that provide specialized services across member communities, regional educational collaboratives that allow school districts to provide special education services more efficiently, and regional library networks that allow local libraries to leverage the resources available to their users.  In addition, there are many examples of shared facilities like regional vocational high schools and regional water and wastewater infrastructure through the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and more localized joint wastewater facilities.

The Commonwealth recently adopted legislation allowing municipalities to enter into inter-municipal agreements without obtaining local legislative approval (such as Town Meeting approval).  This recent change can help to facilitate a variety of collaborative actions, such as developing joint facilities, having one municipality provide services for another, or even consolidating departments.   

As the state lowers barriers to regional collaboration, local officials will need the vision and leadership to creatively consider shared services, shared departments, and shared facilities.  There are many departments that could collaborate more fully or even be consolidated.  Easily, these include assessing departments, veterans services, weights and measures inspections, specialized public health duties, and public works.   Furthermore, it is mainly political challenges that prevent increased collaboration in the provision of major local services such as firefighting.  Creatively leveraging regional solutions will require leadership at the local and regional levels.

3)    Establish regional collaboration as a priority for all Commonwealth policies and programs
One of the Commonweath’s Sustainable Development Principles encourages communities to “plan regionally.”  There is an opportunity to promote such regional collaboration by steering state grants to municipalities that practice partnership and collaboration with neighboring cities and towns.  

Whenever practical, state agencies should encourage cities and towns to submit join applications, and to demonstrate the degree to which a joint application would reduce and/or increase public benefit.  Applications from multiple communities should receive higher scores to reward and encourage regional collaboration.  

The Commonwealth Capital system was recently modified to provide additional points to municipalities that pursue opportunities to work with their neighbors on a wide array of issues such as land use planning, joint development of facilities and infrastructure, and protection of natural resources across municipal boundaries.  The new criteria is: “Execution of a compact or MOU, provision of funding, or regulatory change to attain a regional or intergovernmental goal”

The Governor can issue an executive order to make regional collaboration a priority across state government.  Such an order—issued to all secretariats, agencies, commissions, and authorities—would ask them to evaluate every grant, loan, and technical assistance program for opportunities to promote cross-boundary cooperation, collaboration and regional service delivery. 

3.a    The Governor should issue an Executive Order on Regionalism 

4)    Increase joint procurement and service delivery through MAPC
The vast majority of goods needed to operate local government are purchased on the local level, and the vast majority of services are provided by individual municipalities, costing millions of dollars in redundant administration, equipment, supplies, facilities, and personnel. In many cases, substantial dollars could be saved – and the quality of services improved – by regionalizing purchasing or service delivery

MAPC coordinates regional purchasing consortiums through which 42 member municipalities can purchase vehicles, supplies, and services.  Examples include public works and emergency response vehicles, highway maintenance materials and services, homeland security equipment, office supplies.  MAPC develops bid specifications and conducts the purchasing in accordance with state procurement regulations.  In 2007, the program conducted procurements worth over $50 million, saving municipalities an estimated $2 million.  There are two elements to these savings: the high volume of purchases creates heightened competition among vendors, larger volume discounts, and a stronger negotiating position for the municipal participants; and MAPC’s centralized contract management relieves municipal staff from the administrative burden of procurement, reducing staff requirements and allowing staff to focus on core functions.

In addition, MAPC manages the bulk purchasing efforts of the Greater Boston Police Council (GBPC), which covers hundreds of public and institutional buyers throughout New England.

As a regional public entity, MAPC serves as a neutral facilitator and provide the administrative support. As a result, municipalities need not cede authority to another municipality nor take on the added burden of program administration.  Successful consortiums demonstrate geographic proximity and a manageable size (eight to 13 municipalities); these parameters create a stronger sense of shared identity and interest, and more efficient delivery of products and services.  They also require strong local leadership and a general willingness to work together.  Municipalities pay an annual administrative fee to participate in a consortium; by contrast, in the case of GBPC, MAPC receives no up-front fee, but is paid 1.5% of the price of all purchases.  The chief administering officer of each participating city or town serves as a consortium trustee.  Trustees meet regularly to develop an agenda for the program and identify new services that should be offered.  This “bottom-up” approach ensures stronger buy-in from participating communities and produces solutions that are tailored to the particular geographic, demographic, and financial characteristics of member municipalities.  

There are opportunities to expand the scope of MAPC’s joint procurement activities.  A simple legislative change would enable municipalities to purchase equipment, supplies, and services directly through contracts issued by MAPC, in the same way that they can purchase through the “statewide blanket contract” issued by the Commonwealth.  This mechanism would provide yet another opportunity for cities and towns to purchase high-quality supplies or services at an excellent price without having to go through a redundant 30B procurement process at the municipal level.

4.a    Municipalities and MAPC should collaborate to develop additional purchasing consortiums in the region

4.b    The Commonwealth should amend state law to allow municipalities to directly purchase goods and services through regional planning agency contracts

5)    Strengthen incentives to foster inter-municipal collaboration
While the fiscal and operational benefits of inter-municipal procurement and service delivery are well-documented, some communities may require transitional assistance to engage in and implement such programs.  Massachusetts’ history of local control invites potential local resistance to efforts towards regionalization. Additionally, some regionalization efforts, particularly those that require shared facilities, may require initial capital investments in order to achieve long-term financial efficiencies. Therefore, it is important that the Commonwealth provide upfront incentives to encourage regional efforts.  Many promising models are in place in other states, including Connecticut, New York, Maine, and New Jersey.  Such programs may provide technical assistance, grants, or increases in local aid to support joint procurement, regional service delivery, or even consolidation of small municipalities.   

Massachusetts should consider creating a Regional Service Implementation Fund, drawing from the lessons learned in these other states.

5.a    The Administration and Legislature should create a Regional Service Implementation Fund to foster inter-municipal collaboration

6)    Deliver regional public health services
Metro Boston municipalities have a ready opportunity to improve public health service delivery, improve equity, and save costs through the regionalization of public health services.  As with other services, a regional approach will help municipalities to share costs, benefit from a broader range of essential services, achieve economies of scale, and coordinate planning.  A unique benefit of public health regionalization is that it also allows for more comprehensive and effective response to public health emergencies such as disease outbreaks that do not recognize municipal boundaries.  

Massachusetts is one of the few states in the nation that has no county or regional public health system, and no direct state funding for local boards of health and health departments.  Public health departments must compete with other essential services for limited local funds, often resulting in under-funded departments and lack of staff.  At the same time, local health departments are facing increasing demands as a result of new mandates and emergency preparedness responsibilities.  

The Massachusetts Public Health Regionalization Project has evaluated the need for regional health services, assessed existing efforts, and identified alternative models for implementation.  A “full district” approach involves two or more municipalities pooling resources to provide comprehensive public health services.  Other approaches include the “shared services” model in which municipalities might jointly deliver specific services; or the “cafeteria” model in which a regional entity would provide a variety of services that towns could obtain via contract on an as-needed basis.  

There are examples of such collaboration already existing in Massachusetts, such as the delivery of regionalized public health services through the Franklin Regional Council of Governments and Barnstable County.  These programs demonstrate that public health services can be delivered regionally in a way that respects municipalities but provides both economies of scale and increased technical sophistication.  MAPC has already been involved in public health issues in other ways, such as the development of emergency plan templates for DPH.

Increased regional public service delivery will require additional guidance and legislative changes.  While existing Massachusetts law allows for the creation of regional health districts, it does not address important issues: home rule and local authority; workforce credential standards; and financial sustainability.  The Public Health Regionalization Project Working Group has identified legislative recommendations to address these issues, and is currently developing recommendations for district minimum requirements, funding structures, and reorganization of the Department of Public Health to support regionalization.

6.a    The Legislature should adopt legislation specifically authorizing regional health districts and regional health officers

6.b    DPH should reorganize its assets to support regionalization of public health services

6.c    The Legislature should provide funding to support a “Full District” pilot project

7)    Consider municipal mergers to increase efficiency and enhance the quality of services
Every city and town in Metro Boston has a history rich in tradition.  Still, a handful of municipalities are very small; the 2000 Census identified ten towns with populations under 6,000.  It is very difficult to run an efficient government and to provide a full array of services with such a small population base.  Others may be larger, but their working-class constituents may find it difficult to pay the high taxes needed to adequately fund local government.  Even some of the region’s small cities face daunting financial challenges, and their populations often need high-cost services.

For such cities and towns, mergers into a single political unit may be the best way to go – and several municipalities seem to be summoning the political courage to consider such a move.  Political unification is not for everyone, but in many cases it may allow a substantial reduction in overall administrative costs – money which could be plowed back into basic services.  Neighboring towns may find that they have similar needs, as well as complementary strengths.  One may run a great school system, while their neighbors may excel in public works or public safety.  Combinations can provide these benefits to a wider group of constituents, while simultaneously overcoming weaknesses.

7.a        The Division of Local Services in the Department of Revenue, working closely with MAPC, should help communities interested in merging to study the financial, service delivery, and land use implications of such a move, and then assist with implementation if the studies prove promising

7.b        The Commonwealth should provide seed capital to merging municipalities to assist with the transition costs that often precede savings and enhanced services

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