January 14, 2010
REP. GODFREY NAMED TO COMMISSION TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES
FOR REGIONALISM, MUNICIPAL COST SAVINGS AND EFFICIENCIES
State Representative Bob Godfrey (D-Danbury) 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 begin its work next Tuesday, January 19th with the goal of recommending legislation during the 2010 session.
"The key element of this commission is having officials on the state level working side-by-side on this group with the very municipal officials who know inside and out the needs of local government," said Rep. Godfrey, who prior to being elected to the legislature served for five years as a member of the Danbury City Council.
Rep. Godfrey said his recent experience in leading the legislature to reform the state's antiquated probate court system into an efficient, region-based structure can be an impetus for similar money-saving reforms throughout other segments government. "This is all about saving money through regional cooperation, resulting in less bureaucracy while retaining services," he said.
"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 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 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.