Regional solutions to local problems
Electricity Program - Hampshire Power
Old Courthouse Art Gallery
Cooperative
Purchasing
HAMPSHIRE COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
Helping local governments save money and solve problems through regional cooperation.
WHAT IS IT?
The Hampshire Council of Governments is a voluntary association of cities and towns in the Hampshire County area. A body politic and corporate, its charter is ratified by Massachusetts General Law 34B, §20(b).WHAT DOES IT DO?
Principal established programs include:
• building inspection and zoning enforcement,
• cooperative purchasing,
• distribution of federal surplus equipment,
• health insurance for employees of regional local governments,
• short-term rehabilitation and long-term health care, and
• tobacco control.
Major new initiatives include:
• developing a program for providing lower cost electricity to the region,
• planning for development of the 106 acre Hampshire Park.The Council performs a myriad of additional services, listed at the end of the following section describing Council of Governments services.
ARE SERVICES AVAILABLE TO NON-MEMBERS?
The primary focus of the Council is to serve the member towns. Some services are also available to other towns on a fee-for-service basis, principally health insurance, cooperative purchasing, and electricity. For details, see the following department and program descriptions.WHO RUNS THE COUNCIL?
Voters in member towns elect representatives to the Council at their municipal election.
Councilors set priorities, adopt a budget, oversee existing programs, and identify problems shared by their towns that may be amenable to a regional solution. They serve as trustees for Hampshire Care and for the Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust. They provide a quasi-judicial function in tax abatement hearings and road hearings. Citizens are invited to contact their elected representative to the Council with suggestions on current or proposed programs.The Councilors appoint a Council Administrator, who serves as the executive director for the organization. A dedicated team of professional staff brings a wealth of professional training and experience to the day-to-day operation of Council programs and services.
HOW IS IT PAID FOR?
Assessed membership dues, program fees, grants, and earned revenues all support Council activities. Membership dues of less than $150,000 support an annual program cash flow of about $38M. The charter set initial membership dues in 1999 at .0001 of a town’s equalized property valuation (EQV), subject to the same provisions of Proposition 2 ½ rules that apply to the cities and towns. Since then, the mounting state and local funding crisis in Massachusetts has prompted members to approve a reduction in assessed dues. By charter and by statute, the dues are apportioned among the members in proportion to their EQV. For fee-based services that are available to non-members, members receive substantial discounts over non-member fees. Fees are described in each program description.HOW IS THE COUNCIL ORGANIZED?
Seventeen Councilors currently govern the Council of Governments. At their municipal election, each of the member cities and towns elects one or more representatives. Votes on the Council are weighted, according to the city or town population. Mayors and Selectboards appoint city or town representatives to fill vacancies until the next municipal election. Councilors serve two-year terms. The Councilors elect from among themselves a Moderator and a five member Executive Committee consisting of a Chair, Vice-chair, and three other members. The Chair appoints committees and committee chairs.HOW CAN TOWNS JOIN OR LEAVE THE COUNCIL?
A vote either of the Town Meeting, City Council, or by ballot at town elections is required. In addition, a vote of current members must approve new and returning members. The specific procedures required are set forth in the Charter and in the Administrative Code. Both are posted on this web-site.
SERVICES AND PROGRAMS
OF THE
HAMPSHIRE COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTSThe Hampshire Council of Governments operates a GROUP INSURANCE TRUST that provides
• group health and life insurance, and
• insurance consulting services for sixty-one public employers in Western Massachusetts.
The Hampshire Councilors serve as trustees of the Trust, and the Finance and Insurance Director serves as the Administrator and Operations Manager of the Trust. The Council’s Finance Director holds designations of Casualty Claim Law Associate, Chartered Life Underwriter, and Chartered Financial Consultant. Municipalities that are not members of the Council of Governments may apply for insurance coverage. Acceptance requires approval of both the Insurance Advisory Board and the Councilors. Once approved, each new unit gains a seat on the Advisory Board. The Trust has earned a reputation for helping schools and towns control the ever-rising costs of health insurance while providing employees with quality health insurance coverage.The Hampshire Council of Governments owns and operates HAMPSHIRE CARE, a Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing facility in the center of Hampshire Park in Leeds. This is a nursing home that operates in the black while maintaining high quality care; something of a miracle in today’s health care environment. Hampshire Care has an outstanding record of providing rapid recovery from accidents and illnesses and returning patients to their homes after a hospital stay. Medicare and Medicaid surveyors consistently rank Hampshire Care as one of the highest rated facilities in the area. Located on 106 acres of woodlands and fields, Hampshire Care also provides a warm and hospitable environment for patients needing long-term care. Often, the level of care provided enables even long-term patients to recover their health and strength and return home. It is the philosophy of the facility that all efforts be directed to the well-being of the patients, as there are no stockholders or banks to satisfy; the owners are the people who live in towns that belong to the Council of Governments. People selecting a nursing facility can obtain guidance and compare nursing home inspection results on the official Medicare web site: http://www.medicare.gov/nhcompare/home.asp. To contact the admissions office, call 413-584-8457.
Councilors conducted a year-long planning process for HAMPSHIRE PARK, adopting criteria for the protection and use of the 106-acre parcel surrounding Hampshire Care, in Leeds. Principal uses proposed in the plan include education, health care, and housing. Interested citizens and developers are encouraged to contact the Council for additional information.
The COUNCIL ELECTRICITY PROGRAM offers electricity supply contracts to municipalities and businesses in the region. Customers can choose either a Basic Profit Sharing Plan or a rate indexed to the real time wholesale prices. The long-term goal is a Municipal Aggregation that will provide lower rates to all customers who want it within approving towns. Many area towns have approved the concept at an Annual Town Meeting. For more information about becoming a customer, call 413-584-1300 x150.
The Hampshire Council’s COOPERATIVE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT coordinates and administers a formal bidding process for municipalities, schools, and human service agencies as well as the Council’s own departments. Buying in bulk generates added savings over lone bidding efforts while complying with state procurement statutes and eliminating duplication of administrative work. When towns experience problems with a product or service, the Council’s trouble-shooting follow-up packs the clout of the entire purchasing volume. The department annually bids such municipal staples as:
• fuel oils,
• various highway goods and services,
• office and school furniture,
• school art and classroom supplies,
• milk and cafeteria food, and
• supplies for office machinery.
Schools and towns may request the addition of new products and services.
The Co-op has established an excellent rapport with many local vendors and strives to keep as much business as possible at the local level. Fees are based on the amount purchased; Council members receive an 80% discount.
Funded entirely with grant money, Hampshire Council’s TOBACCO FREE NETWORK works to eliminate the health consequences associated with tobacco use in Hampshire County. This multi-pronged approach includes
• prevention – with an emphasis on preventing young people from starting to use tobacco and reduce youth access to tobacco products,
• education,
• tobacco treatment, and
• the elimination of second-hand smoke - working with local communities and local boards of health to develop policies and regulations that protect the health of residents, customers, and employees.Currently, approximately 75% of the residents of Hampshire County live in towns where there are regulations protecting them from second-hand smoke.
Money generated from the sale of tobacco once funded tobacco control work by our local schools, boards of health, and hospitals. Today, strapped for money, the state has used those funds for other programs, leaving the Council’s program as the only one serving this region.
The Hampshire Council REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT develops regional approaches to problems shared by member municipalities.
• The department secures surplus federal equipment for municipal and state entities in the Commonwealth. Fees to both the Commonwealth and the Council are based on the current value of the equipment; Council members receive a 75% discount off the Council portion of the fee.
• Regional Services oversees a building inspection and zoning enforcement program. This is the primary inspection services for the towns of Huntington, Chesterfield, Middlefield, Goshen, and Williamsburg, who jointly fund the program. The program also provides emergency inspection services for other towns for an hourly fee.
• The department also arranges workshops and seminars on topics of interest to local officials.
• An annual wage and salary survey gives local officials accurate information about comparable employee costs in the region.
• Department staff assists the Council Administrator in the development of a regional electricity aggregation program.
COUNCILOR’S ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE OFFICES provide a variety of additional support:
• Archives of historical county records,
• Hampshire County Dispatch Tower,
• Hampshire County Dog Damage Fund,
• Hampshire County Fire Defense Association,
• Emergency Radio System,
• EMT/EMS Training and Equipment,
• Grants applications and administration,
• Hampshire County Selectmen’s Association,
• Hampshire Educational Collaborative summer camp,
• Hampshire County Hazardous Materials Contingency Fund,
• Hilltown Resource Management Cooperative,
• Property Tax Abatement Hearings,
• Road Discontinuance and Easement Hearings,
• SAFE Trailer (training kids to get out of a burning house), and
• Springfield Materials Recycling Board.
