Contact Information:

Lyle D. Wray
Executive Director
Telephone Extension: 32

Mary Ellen Kowalewski
Community Development Director
Telephone Extension: 22

Jennifer March-Wackers
Senior Municipal Services Coordinator
Telephone Extension: 39

Jocelyn Mathiasen
Special Projects Coordinator
Telephone Extension: 34

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.

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
• CRCOG Project Awards
• Municipal Participation in Projects
  

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CRCOG Application to OPM
Regional Performance Incentive Grant Program Application, December 3, 2007
This is the final CRCOG application submitted to OPM on December 3, 2007

Project Proposals Spreadsheet
Projects by Town (updated 12/5/07)
This is an 8.5 x 14 document.  It indicates which projects towns have opted into.  You may use this as a double-check as you assemble your resolutions and certifications.

Proposed Project Summaries

Project Summaries (updated 11/13/07)
These are the proposals submitted to CRCOG grouped by topic area.  These documents provide detail for the project proposal spreadsheet above.

Please contact Jennifer March-Wackers (jwackers@crcog.org) or Jocelyn Mathiasen (jmathiasen@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

• 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)

Outside Connecticut

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

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?