January 19, 2010

REP. JOHNSON NAMED TO COMMISSION TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES
FOR REGIONALISM, MUNICIPAL COST SAVINGS AND EFFICIENCIES

State Representative Susan Johnson has been named by House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden) and House Majority Leader Denise Merrill (D-Mansfield) to a new a commission that will seek to identify opportunities for more regional collaborations designed to create efficiencies and save money for municipalities. The Blue Ribbon Commission on Municipal Opportunities and Regional Efficiencies (MORE) will met for the first time today with the goal of recommending legislation during the 2010 session.

“It is an honor to be appointed to this commission and I look forward to bringing my experience on a number of Windham boards and commissions including the Windham Board of Selectman to the discussion,” Rep. Johnson stated.

Rep. Johnson added, “This commission will give us the ability to look at the whole picture when looking for ways to lower property taxes without sacrificing core services.”

“We can be doing ‘MORE' with less,” Speaker Donovan stressed. “Rep. Johnson and MORE will help us find these new ways to help our cities and towns. I am confident we can bring about real property tax reform by regionalizing certain activities that can both save money and improve the economic competitiveness of our state.”

“We've talked for a long time about restructuring government at all levels across the state,” said Rep. Merrill. “Now we're going to take action. I'm excited about the chance to bring some relief to our cities and towns and to bring about the kind of structural change that can deliver benefits for years to come.”

The MORE Commission will be comprised of 45 Democratic members of the House of Representatives and representatives of municipalities, regional organizations, education, business, unions and non-profits.

The Commission will look at a wide spectrum of issues and opportunities facing municipalities: multi-town collaborative, Board of Education functions, regionally-based organizations, collective bargaining, mandates, revenue sources, health care, and state grants. In each of these areas, commission subcommittees will investigate costs, benefits, resources, legal obstacles and opportunities, potential savings, consolidation, and results-based accountability (RBA) methods for tracking performance.