Contact Information:

Lyle D. Wray
Executive Director
Telephone Extension: 232

Mary Ellen Kowalewski
Policy and Planning Director
Telephone Extension: 222

Jennifer March-Wackers
Municipal Services Manager
Telephone Extension: 239

Address:
241 Main Street, 4th Floor
Hartford, CT  06106
Telephone:    860-522-2217
Fax:                 860-724-1274

“THINKING AND ACTING REGIONALLY”

The mission of the Capitol Region Council of Governments’ Service Sharing Initiative is very similar to that of CRCOG as a whole: Helping municipalities work together to achieve more.  The goal is to have every community look for regional solutions to their challenges that lead to reduced costs and enhanced services.

In March 2007, the Service Sharing Steering Committee was formed to act as a convener and facilitator of service sharing projects around the CRCOG region.  Please refer to the Service Sharing Steering Committee Meetings & Minutes Page for more information on this committee.

Technical Assistance is also available through CRCOG staff for various projects.  CRCOG also has reference material on service sharing available, some of which are posted below.

Section 5 of Public Act 11-61 provides for changes to the Regional Performance Incentive Program administered by the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) in 2011.  Most importantly, portions of the hotel tax and car rental tax now fund this program, allowing for a dedicated revenue stream.  In addition, studies are now eligible for funding.

At the November 16, 2011 CRCOG Policy Board meeting, five (5) grant project applications were approved for submission.  Please [CLICK HERE] for a summary of these applications (PDF format).

NEXT STEPS:

1. Participation:
   If you have not yet indicated that your municipality wishes to participate in any of the grants, please contact Jennifer March-Wackers (jwackers@crcog.org) as soon as possible. (see chart below for responses to date) There are opportunities for non-CRCOG towns to join these projects, please contact the appropriate CRCOG staff lead (see #3 below) if you are in that position.
2. Local Resolution of Support:
   Any municipality wishing to participate in the grant projects, must pass a local resolution of support and forward to CRCOG by December 23, 2011. 
   **Please [CLICK HERE] for the OPM format for local resolutions.**
   All application materials (including resolutions of support) are due to OPM by December 31, 2011.
3. Grant Writing:
   If you wish to participate in the grant writing process, please contact the appropriateCRCOG staff lead to coordinate your assistance:

   Back Office Study: Jennifer March-Wackers (jwackers@crcog.org)
   CAPTAIN 4G: Cheryl Assis (cassis@crcog.org)
   GIS Expansion: Erik Snowden (esnowden@crcog.org)
   IT Application Sharing and Development: Pauline Yoder (pyoder@crcog.org)
   Regional Assessment: Jennifer March-Wackers (jwackers@crcog.org)

CRCOG Member Responses as of 11/17/11:

During the regular session the General Assembly passed Public Act 07-239, providing $8.6 million in incentive grants to regional planning organizations for projects that involve shared services. This program offers an excellent opportunity for CRCOG member communities to obtain grant funding for a wide variety of projects. Governor Rell announced on Tuesday, February 19th that CRCOG had been awarded nearly $5.2 million to carry out 10 projects. Following is the Governor's press release, a summary of the Capitol Region projects, and a summary of the municipalities that have chosen to participate in these initiatives.

• Governor's Press Release
• Summary of CRCOG Projects and Workplans
• Municipal Participation in Projects

Information relevant to the 10 Regional Peformance Incentive Grants that were awarded to CRCOG in 2008 from OPM can be accessed through the links below.

Animal Control

Digital Health Departments

IT Application Sharing and Development

Enhancement of Regional GIS

GIS Flight and Mapping Data (OrthoFlight)

Farmington Valley Trail Maintenance

Regional Traffic Team/Investigation Unit

Regional Law Enforcement Data Sharing

Regional Law Enforcement Training Center

* Updated Scope of Services

Regional Emergency Operations Center

Please contact Jennifer March-Wackers (jwackers@crcog.org) if you have any questions.

Principles of Service Sharing

• Any willing community should be able to participate
• Political will must be present
• Sharing should be practical and show perceivable benefit
• Project should be scaleable (either duplicated or expanded)
• Document, document, document

Applications of Service Sharing

• Joint services agreement – 2 or more governments cooperate
• Delegation – one government designates another to conduct an activity but continues to provide oversight
• Transfer of function – one government transfers responsibility for an entire activity to another
• Consolidation – government transfers an activity to a new, separate entity

Connecticut Statutes that Enable Service Sharing

• 7-148cc (Joint Performance of Municipal Functions)
• 7-339 (Interlocal Agreements)
• 7-277a (Police Mutual Aid)

Templates and Documents

• Fee-for-Service Template for Municipal Sharing of Staff and/or Resources
• CRCOG Legal Opinion and Sample Service Sharing Resolution

Examples of Service Sharing

In Connecticut

• Avon, CT - Canton, CT Service Sharing (Assessment, Social Services, Animal Control)
• East Granby-Granby-Hartland-Suffield MOU (Building Officials)
• Farmington Trail Equipment Sharing MOU and Hold Harmless (PW Equipment)

Outside Connecticut

• Massachusetts Mutual Aid
• Lewiston-Auburn, Maine
• New Hampshire Technology Transfer Center

CRCOG's Public Works Resource Sharing

Service Sharing in Connecticut:  On January 10, 2007, the Capitol Region Council of Governments and the Capitol Region Council of Governments Foundation, Inc. hosted the first in a series of seminars on Service Sharing. The symposium was held on the UConn Greater Hartford Campus in West Hartford. 

The goal of the symposium was to enhance understanding and to encourage cooperation and collaboration between municipalities in response to the “permanent fiscal crisis” environment of local government.  A keynote address by David Osborne, author of “The Price of Government” and a service-sharing case study from Maine were featured.

• Maine Case Study: Lewiston-Auburn Shared Services
• Auburn-Lewiston Economic Development Protocol
• City of Auburn Ordinances
• Lewiston-Auburn Tax Sharing
• Lewiston-Auburn Tax Increment Financing Policy
• Keynote Presention: Why Shared Services?