Lt. Governor Karyn Polito Visits Acushnet

Community Compact Signing
Polito Visit
Selectmen with Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito

On Tuesday, October 3, 2017, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito visited with the Acushnet Board of Selectmen to sign Acushnet's Community Compact agreement with the Baker-Polito Administration. The Community Contract is a voluntary agreement between individual Towns and the Commonwealth. Each Community Compact is unique and tailored to best practices that Community selects.Under the Community Compact, the Commonwealth will offer technical assistance, extra incentive points on grants, and additional grant programs offered only to designated Community Compact Towns.

The Town of Acushnet applied for a Community Compact with the following best practices: Wage & Classification; Employee Policies, and Information Technologies. With this Community Compact, the Town of Acushnet hopes to explore an array grant opportunities.

COMMONWEALTH COMMUNITY COMPACT 
WHEREAS cities and towns and the Commonwealth must work together to create the conditions for a strong and resilient economy; and 
WHEREAS cities and towns face increasing pressures on municipal and school budgets which impact essential services; and 
WHEREAS cities and towns are partners with the Commonwealth and the Baker-Polito Administration is recommitting itself to 
that partnership through the Community Compact Cabinet; and 
WHEREAS the. Commonwealth is committed to promoting mutual standards of best practice for both the state and 
Municipalities that will create clear standards, expectations, and accountability for both partners; and 
WHEREAS the citizens of Massachusetts are right to expect forward-thinking, innovative government from both the 
Commonwealth and local governments. 
 
Commonwealth Commitments 
As a sign of its commitment to an improved partnership with cities and towns, the Baker-Polito Administration: 
  • Intends to be a reliable partner on local aid. 
  • Pledges to work with our partners in the Legislature toward earlier local aid formula funding levels. 
  • Will work to make available technical assistance opportunities for cities and towns as they work toward best practices. 
  • Will not propose any new unfunded state mandates, and we will look at existing mandates with a goal toward making it easier to manage municipal governments. 
  • Will give special attention, in its review of state regulations, to those that affect the ability of municipalities to govern themselves. 
  • Pledges to work closely with municipal leaders to expand opportunities to add municipal voices to those state boards  and commissions that impact local governments. 
  • Will introduce incentives for municipalities that sign Compacts in existing and proposed state grant opportunities, including proposals for technical assistance grants available only to compact communities. 
  • Will identify ways to expedite state reviews that can often slow down economic development opportunities or hinder other municipal interests.
 Community Commitments 
NOW THEREFORE the Town of Acushnet pledges to adopt the following best practices: 
 
  1. Develop a municipal IT consolidation strategy that maximizes technology investments across schools, public safety, and municipal buildings. 
  2. Develop a formal Wage and Classification Plan that details, at a minimum, job descriptions, employee grades, and salary ranges, thereby providing the municipality with a tool to make pay decisions that are reasonable in comparison to similar work being carried out in all areas of city/town government. 
  3. Prepare a Capital Improvement Plan that reflects a community's needs, is reviewed and updated annually, and fits within a financing plan that reflects the community's ability to pay. 
The Commonwealth will work with the Town of Acushnet as a partner in implementing these best practices, including prioritizing technical assistance when that is needed to accomplish execution of a new best practice. 
 
Commonwealth Compact Community Incentives 
The Baker-Polito Administration seeks to recognize municipalities that are striving to become more innovative and accountable and introduce incentives through various state grants and programs to reward municipalities who have signed Community Compacts and committed themselves to continuous improvement. Municipalities that pledge to adopt best practices through compacts will get bonus points on selected state grant programs and will be prioritized for various technical assistance programs. 
 
TOGETHER we sign this Community Compact in a spirit of partnership and public service, understanding that we serve the citizens of our Commonwealth and that our citizens deserve the best government possible. 
 
Signed this 3rd of October in the Year 2017 
 
Lt. Governor Karyn Polito
 
Kevin Gaspar, Sr. Chairman, Board of Selectmen