January 14, 2010
NEW HAVEN LAWMAKERS NAMED TO COMMISSION ON REGIONALISM,
MUNICIPAL COST SAVINGS AND EFFICIENCIES
New Haven State Representatives Cam Staples, Toni Walker and Gary Holder-Winfield have 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 in order to create efficiencies and save money for municipalities.
The Blue Ribbon Commission on Municipal Opportunities and Regional Efficiencies (MORE) will begin its work January 19 with the goal of recommending legislation during the 2010 session which runs through May 5.
"We can be doing more with less," Speaker Donovan said. "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."
The MORE Commission will be comprised of 45 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 collaboratives, 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.
Rep. Staples was elected to the Legislature in 1992 and serves as House Chair of the Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee. Rep. Walker was elected to the Legislature in 2000 and is House Chair of the Human Services Committee and also serves on the Appropriations and Judiciary Committees. Holder-Winfield is in his first term in the Legislature and serves on the Appropriations, Human Services and Judiciary Committees.