County towns eye mutual aid

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

HADLEY - As legislators put the final touches on a state budget that is expected to feature cuts in aid to cities and towns across the commonwealth, local officials got together Thursday night and swapped ideas about how county resources could be shared to save money and jobs.

More than 30 officials representing municipalities across Hampshire County converged on the local Senior Center and put their heads together in an attempt to create a "road map" for the future of the Hampshire Council of Governments.

Although only roughly half of those in attendance represented towns that were already members of the regional nonprofit organization, almost all said that pooling county resources would help them cope with the state's current budget crisis.

"The idea is that the road map we create tonight will not only be an overall vision for the organization but also a concrete action plan that will be connected to that vision for us to stick to," said Aron Goldman of the Springfield Institute, who facilitated the meeting. "We want to make sure that the council has a plan that makes sense and a plan that you are all vested in."

Although she noted that the larger municipalities like Amherst and Northampton left the organization in 2005 and have been reluctant to rejoin because they felt it was in their financial best interest to handle purchasing and cost-sharing ventures on their own, Eileen Stewart of Williamsburg, a member of the council's executive committee, said efforts are being made to woo them.

"We are reducing our dues as our revenue stream increases in order to make it easier for towns to belong ... So those of you who haven't should come on over and join because our dues are much lower than they ever used to be and they are on a downward spiral."

Another advantage to unifying cities and towns under a county banner is a louder voice in Boston when it comes to acquiring grant funding, said Martin Merrill of Granby, who serves as vice chairman of the council's executive committee.

"I'm a believer that the bigger numbers you have, the bigger voice you have when you are trying to get the attention of legislators in Boston," he said.

Many town officials at the meeting voiced their concerns about being able to maintain services offered in their towns, including Bob Heath, Huntington's Selectboard chairman, who said he is having a hard time just filling seats on volunteer boards.

"More than just saving money or locating funding, we are having a difficult time filling positions," Heath said. "For me that has got to be a top priority for the council - making sure those services are still available for our residents."

The 12 member towns of the Hampshire COG are Belchertown, Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Granby, Huntington, Middlefield, Pelham, Plainfield, Southampton, Westhampton and Williamsburg.

The cost to belong to the COG varies based on a given town's size, tax rate and other factors. The maximum that can be paid annually has been capped at $40,000, but four years ago, council officials decided to offer all towns a deal that would require them to pay only 25 percent of their dues if they agreed to stay enlisted for four years.

Belchertown, the council's largest member, pays $10,000; the second largest, Granby, pays $6,180 annually; Southampton pays $6,037; and the smallest member, Middlefield, pays $682.25 per year.

Throughout the meeting, local lawmakers divided into smaller groups to brainstorm ideas for cutting costs on a variety of budget line items, including human services, purchasing, inspection services and energy sources.

A website where local towns could list needed resources, a countywide energy source rooted in green technology and the sharing of town positions such as assessor or building inspector were among the ideas generated in those group discussions.

Also presented at the meeting was a survey, completed by 77 residents and city officials representing each town in the county, outlining potential changes in the structuring of the organization.

As a result of that survey, council members found that local officials favor the appointment of a new council administrator, a strong commitment to courting new members and creative approaches to utilizing alternative energy sources to provide area towns with cheap, sustainable energy.

To fill out the survey, or to see town-by-town results, visit the council's website, http://www.hampshirecog.org.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.