Below are two communications from the state about our new community compact with them.  The state did budget some monies to go along with this effort of theirs, so we are getting a $30,000 grant towards the $80,000 cost to create a 20 year capital improvement plan, with the remainder coming from a town meeting budget item.

March 4, 2016

Richard DeSorgher

Chair, Board of Selectmen

Town of Medfield

Dear Mr. DeSorgher:

Congratulations on entering into a Community Compact with the Baker-Polito Administration. Community Compacts create clear mutual standards, expectations, and accountability for both the state and municipalities as together we seek to create better government for our citizens.

We are excited to partner with Medfield as you implement your chosen best practices:

Financial Management/Capital Improvement Plan: The community develops and documents a multi-year capital plan that reflects a community’s needs, is reviewed annually and fits within a financing plan that reflects the community’s ability to pay.

• Next Steps: The Commonwealth will provide Medfield with a Community Compact grant to hire a consultant to help with the development of a long-range comprehensive capital improvement plan. Pam Kocher from my office will be in touch regarding the grant process.

Technology – Transparency: There is a documented open data strategy including timelines for making municipal spending and budget information accessible from the city or town website in a machine readable and graphical format.

• Next Steps: MassIT’s Office of Municipal and School Technology will provide technical assistance to support the Town’s initiative to increase transparency by presenting financial data on the Town’s website. Your contact is Michael Hamel (hamel@mass.gov), Director of the Office of Municipal and School Technology.

Technology – Citizen Engagement: There is a documented citizen engagement strategy for deployment of technology solutions, including a public communication strategy and a professional development strategy to ensure that internal resources can effectively engage with users via technology.

• Next Steps: The Commonwealth’s MassIT Office of Municipal and School Technology will work with Medfield to develop policies and procedures that will allow the Town to effectively communicate out to the public, and a strategy to make public input a part of town culture. Michael Hamel is the contact for this best practice, too.

Sincerely,

Sean Cronin

Senior Deputy Commissioner of Local Services

cc: Pam Kocher, Director of Special Initiatives, Division of Local Services

Michael Hamel, Director of the Office of Municipal and School Technology

Dear Mr. DeSorgher:

Congratulations on entering into a Community Compact with the Baker-Polito Administration. Community Compacts create clear mutual standards, expectations and accountability for both the state and municipalities as together we seek to create better government for our citizens.

We are excited to partner with Medfield as you implement your chosen best practices. Please see the attached letter from Sean Cronin.

Our commitments include a Community Compact grant to hire a consultant to help with the development of a long-range comprehensive capital improvement plan.  We have budgeted up to $30,000 for this grant.  Please gather some cost information to help us determine the final grant amount and email it to me.

Here’s more detail about the grant process:

You will have until June 30, 2017 to complete the project.

The grant funds will be paid to the community in two installments:

75% of the total upon execution of the state grant contract;

25% of the total upon completion of the project and upon submission to the Division of Local  Services of a report certifying completion of the project and identifying how the results are being used (as opposed to just sitting on a shelf somewhere).

We can get the grant contract process started as soon as you provide some key information:

After we confirm the grant amount, you will be asked to provide a scope of work, a budget and a project timeline for this project.  (It’s fine if this is a couple paragraphs and not the multi-page detailed document a consultant might prepare as scope of work and agreement with them.) Please email this information to me.

Once I receive this information, I will prepare a state contract and grant agreement package for you to sign and return to me.  The contract will then be signed by the state and a payment of 75% of the grant amount will be made to your account.

Let me know if you have any questions about the grant process.

Regards,

Pam

Pam Kocher

Director of Special Initiatives

Division of Local Services

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

PO Box 9569

Boston, MA 02114