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ANNUAL REPORT OF THE
HAMPSHIRE COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010
The Hampshire
Council of Governments is a membership based organization that solves
common challenges through regional solutions while retaining local control
over local affairs. The combined dues for the Council of Governments in
Fiscal Year 2010 were $37,206. Dues for all member towns have been reduced
to ease the financial burden to the municipalities while increasing the
stability of the Council membership. The dues collected help support Council
programs, services, and assistance to a variety of programs. It is the
continued goal of the Council to increase revenues from a variety of sources
to offset the reduced assessment and to expand services.
The Council achieved
several key goals in 2010.
• A strategic planning process was completed, with input from all
towns in our service area. The Council will continue to refine this planning
process and will work with our membership to create specific services
and programs to meet the most pressing needs of the Towns.
• Hampshire Power continues is impressive expansion. It now serves
the electricity needs of towns, schools, and businesses in the five Western
Counties of Massachusetts - Hampshire, Franklin, Hampden, Worcester, and
Berkshire.
• Hampshire Power is aggressively pursuing Municipal Aggregation,
which will eventually strive to serve residential customers, expanding
the benefit of our electricity cost saving model.
• Hampshire Care and the Hampshire Park property were sold to the
Masonic Health System of Massachusetts.
• The Council Cooperative Purchasing Program saved the participants
in this program approximately $718,110.
• The Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust held down costs once
again, keeping to single digit health care increases in a climate of double
digit increases. The Trust remains the pinnacle of health insurance in
the Commonwealth.
• The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) provided 124,000
hours of service to our communities, equaling a contribution of more than
$2.58 million.
• The Councilors established a scholarship fund to help support
high school students who have demonstrated civic and community involvement
Hampshire
Power
Hampshire Power continued to expand with the number of customers increasing
to almost 100. The energy load increased from 4 to 6 MWs during FY2010.
More towns and districts in Worchester and Berkshire Counties joined the
Program and the renewal rate of contracts was 100%. A new rate plan was
added during the year which resulted in three choices for customers –
the new Fixed, the Real Time, and the Profit Share. During FY2010, Real
Time Rate customers saved a total of $410,000 compared to the utilities’
rates. The Municipal Aggregation Initiative was launched with the hiring
of a staff person to research regulations, meet with towns’ Boards
of Selectmen, develop the necessary plan for the Department of Public
Utilities, and commence aggregation for a number of towns. The Green Committee,
a sub-committee of the Electricity Committee, was revived and green options
for customers, sustainability, and renewable energy programs continue
to be researched. To decrease the risk involved in purchasing electricity,
staff had reviewed proposals and met with consultants in order to contract
for purchasing services in the new fiscal year.
Cooperative
Purchasing
The Cooperative Purchasing program, now in its 30th year, coordinates
and administers a formal bidding process on behalf of Council departments,
municipalities, school districts, human service agencies, and miscellaneous
governmental entities throughout the Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and
Hampshire County region. Buying in bulk generates added savings over lone
bidding efforts while complying with state procurement statutes and eliminating
duplication of administrative work. The total purchasing volume for goods
and services for Fiscal Year 2010 was $4.6 million with a projected savings
of $718,110.
Hampshire
County Group Insurance Trust
In a year when many towns are facing double-digit rate increases in health
insurance premiums, our towns once again held their costs to single-digit
increases. The Hampshire Councilors serve as the trustees of the Hampshire
County Group Insurance Trust, a cooperative effort to provide health and
life insurance with excellent benefits at competitive rates. An Insurance
Advisory Committee, made up of representatives of all participating units,
meets regularly to discuss problems and possible solutions and to explore
new ideas. The Trust manages a self-funded group of health insurance products.
In the Insurance Year 2010 (April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010), the collective
premium for the Trust was $45M. Through the efforts and expertise of the
Trust management, the volume of participation in the program, and the
participation of the town representatives on the Advisory Board, the Insurance
Trust is successful at managing costs while providing excellent benefits.
Retired and
Senior Volunteer Program
RSVP (Retired & Senior Volunteer Program) of Hampshire & Franklin
Counties is the Council’s community service program that mobilizes
adults age 55+ to meet community needs by recruiting, placing, and supporting
volunteers in a diverse array of service opportunities at local non-profit
and public agencies. RSVP matches people with experience and skills to
offer with organizations that need their help. The program benefits the
senior population by keeping them active and engaged, and benefits our
region by bringing these volunteers’ dedication, wisdom, and expertise
to bear on our communities’ most pressing needs.
During FY10, RSVP
brought on 141 new volunteers bringing our total volunteer force to 653.
These volunteers gave more than 124,000 hours of service to our communities,
equaling a contribution of more than $2.58 million. RSVP Volunteers serve
at hospitals, nursing homes, schools, libraries, after school programs,
survival centers, and senior centers in towns across the two counties.
The following are
some examples of the impact RSVP volunteers are having on our communities:
• During the reporting period 20 volunteers worked with 203 students
in schools and after school programs to improve academic skills. 74% of
students increased their interest in reading and 776% improved their academic
skills.
• Through RSVP’s Osteoporosis Exercise Program, 32 volunteers
led strength training classes for 242 seniors. 85% of class participants
improved their physical health and 97% improved their ability to avoid
falls or broken bones.
• 128 volunteers increased food security in our region by providing
food to more than 800 elders.
• 255 volunteers improved the quality of life for more than 10,000
seniors by leading activities and providing information at senior centers.
Regional Services
The Regional Services Department develops regional approaches to problems
shared by Hampshire County municipalities. The department secured surplus
federal equipment for various Massachusetts municipalities and state entities.
The current net savings of property delivered to member communities for
Fiscal Year 2010, after fees and delivery charges, totaled $4,400.00.
Net program income from fees was $6,350.00. Member communities receive
a 50% discount off the Council portion of the fee, as well as the right
of first refusal on higher quality pieces of equipment obtained through
the surplus program. The department arranges workshops and seminars on
topics of interest to local officials.
Hampshire
Inspection Program
Now in its sixteenth year, the Hampshire Inspection Program is a fee for
service building inspection and zoning enforcement program serving Chesterfield,
Goshen, Huntington, and Middlefield. Annual assessments are based on building
permit and zoning activity. Two hundred and ninety-eight building permits
were issued in FY2010, of which twenty-five permits were for new homes.
Annual assessments to member towns are based on hours spent on building
permit and zoning activity. All administrative, clerical, and travel expenses
are shared equally by member towns. The program offers a fully certified
inspector who regularly attends training and educational seminars.
Wellness Initiative
Program
The Wellness Initiative is a worksite wellness program working with 70
municipal units to identify the needs and interests of subscribers and
to provide information, education and programs promoting healthier choices.
The Wellness Initiative launched several new programs including: Being
a wise health care consumer; Mediterranean Diet Nutrition class and sampling;
and Walking challenges in several communities. The Initiative also piloted
4 wellness teams to assess the health risks, needs and interests of employees
in their work place and identify programs and strategies to meet these
health needs
The Tobacco
Free Community Partnership
The Tobacco Free Community Partnership conducts compliance checks to monitor
the illegal sale of tobacco products to minors, and provides education
on the health and economic effects of tobacco. In addition the program
sponsors a western mass smoke free apartment website for both landlords
interested in making their buildings smoke free and tenants interested
in finding smoke free apartments. Landlords can list their smoke free
apartments for free. The website can be found at www.smokefree.hampshirecog.org.
For further information on Council programs, expenses, and revenues, please
contact the Councilors’ Office at 413-584-1300 ext. 2.
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