Essex and Manchester Collaborative Municipal Services Study

The Towns of Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea have agreed to study possible ways to deliver municipal services in better and more cost-effective ways by collaborating with respect to available resources and skill sets.  The study was conducted by the Collins Center for Public Policy, which is affiliated with UMass-Boston and the study was funded via a grant from the Baker Administration's Community Compact Cabinet Program.  This program encourages the implementation of municipal best practices that foster efficiency, better service, and possible cost reductions.  Initially, the Collins Center prepared an interim memo that focused on some of the collaborative opportunities that were the easiest to consider and implement.  Both boards of selectmen met to discuss the memo and to discuss the more complex opportunities that have been identified by the Collins Center.  Subsequently, in November of 2019, the final report was issued by the Collins Center.

Examples of organizations which have implemented best practices similar to those being considered as part of this study, including helpful resources that have been produced may be found here:

Franklin Regional Council of Governments

Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies Regionalization Guide

Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies Shared Services Manual

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