Council Information

HAMPSHIRE COUNCIL DIRECTORY of Council, City, and Town Officers	Hampshire Council of Governments Regional solutions to local problems
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Table of Contents Hampshire Council Information Hampshire Councilors Hampshire Council Offices Offices of the Commonwealth Miscellaneous Reference Numbers Mileage Allowances Valuation of Hampshire County Tax Rate of Cities & Towns Population Town of Amherst Town of Belchertown Town of Chesterfield Town of Cummington City of Easthampton Town of Goshen Town of Granby Town of Hadley Town of Hatfield Town of Huntington Town of Middlefield City of Northampton Town of Pelham Town of Plainfield Town of South Hadley Town of Southampton Town of Ware Town of Westhampton Town of Williamsburg Town of Worthington United States Congress Members of the General Court Senators and Representatives Issued by the Hampshire Council of Governments Councilors' Office Historic Courthouse 99 Main Street Northampton, MA 01060 office) 413-584-1300 fax) 413-584-1465		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. Massachusetts General Law 34B, §20(b) ratifies the charter voters approved in the 1998 General Election. This was the third revision of a charter originally approved by voters in 1988. What does it do? Major new initiatives include • securing lower cost electricity for area towns, and • a housing development at Hampshire Park. Principal established programs include • building inspection and zoning enforcement, • cooperative purchasing, • distribution of federal surplus equipment, • health insurance, and • short-term rehabilitation and long-term health care. Grant money secured by the Council supports • clean water protection, • construction of a hospice facility, • tobacco control, 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. In addition, the Council and the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative are exploring ways to expand services to members of both groups through collaboration. 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 $40,000 support program activity in excess of $50M. By charter and by statute, the dues are apportioned among the members in proportion to their property valuation. For fee-based services that are available to non-members, members receive substantial discounts over non-member fees. How is the Council organized? Seventeen Councilors governed the Council of Governments. At their municipal election, each of the member cities and towns elect one or more representatives to a 2-year term. Votes on the Council are weighted, according to the city or town population. The Councilors elect from among themselves a Moderator and a five member Executive Committee. 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 members. The specific procedures required are set forth in the Charter and in the Administrative Code. Both may be obtained from the Councilor’s Office. SERVICES AND PROGRAMS OF THE HAMPSHIRE COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS The Council of Governments holds a Massachusetts license to be a Competitive Supplier of Electricity. This enables the Council to access the wholesale electricity market to provide low-cost electricity to area towns. Towns in Western Massachusetts are invited to inquire about rates and availability. HAMPSHIRE PARK, a 100 acre woods in Leeds owned by the Council, is home to both Hampshire Care and Camp Hodgkins. The Council has been working on plans for a housing development at Hampshire Park. It is the desire of the Council that the project includes an integrated mix of affordable and market housing for families and seniors. The housing units should also include energy efficiency, accessible adaptability, and exemplary esthetics. Camp Hodgkins, built by the Council in 1927, was created for underweight children. In 1995, the Council gave the Hampshire Educational Collaborative a ten year lease to provide summer camp for students with developmental disorders. Citizens are welcome to enjoy the grounds and woods. The centerpiece of Hampshire Park is HAMPSHIRE CARE, a Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing facility. This nursing home receives the highest quality of care ratings while operating in the black -- 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 of the area. 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 or from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health web site: http://www.mass.gov/dph/qtool/qthome.htm. The 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. Funded entirely with grant money, Hampshire Council’s TOBACCO FREE NETWORK works to eliminate the health consequences associated with tobacco use in Hampshire County and Franklin Counties. 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, by working with tobacco retailers and communities, • continuing education about the hazards of tobacco and resources available, • helping people quit smoking, • working with local communities, local boards of health, and business to help them implement the statewide smoking ban, • the elimination of health disparities among populations. Money generated from the sale of tobacco and the Master Settlement Agreement 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 50% discount off the Council portion of the fee. Regional Services also oversees a building inspection and zoning enforcement program. This is the primary inspection services for the towns of Huntington, Chesterfield, Goshen, Middlefield, Plainfield, and Williamsburg who jointly fund the program. The program also provides emergency inspection services for other towns for an hourly fee. The department 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. 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. COUNCILOR’S ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE OFFICES provide support for a variety of additional services: • Archives of his historical county records, • County Dispatch Tower, • County Dog Damage Fund, • County Fire Defense Association, • EMT/EMS Training and Equipment, • Firefighter’s Air Supply Vehicle Insurance, • Grants applications and administration, • Hampshire County Selectmen’s Association, • Hampshire Educational Collaborative summer camp, • Hampshire/Franklin Spring Municipal Conference, • Hazardous Materials Contingency Fund, • Hilltown Resource Management Cooperative, • Property Tax Abatement Hearings, • Road Discontinuance and Easement Hearings, and • Springfield Materials Recycling Board. DIRECTIONS AND PARKING From All Points: Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) to Exit 4 (I-91). Take I-91 North to Exit 18 (Rt. 5). Follow Rt. 5 North (Pleasant Street becomes King Street after intersecting with Main Street) 1 mile to Main Street (Rt. 9). Courts and offices are bounded by Main Street/Gothic Street/King Street. Alternate Northern Route: Take Rt. 2 West to I-91. Take I-91 South to Exit 19 (Rt. 9). Take Rt. 9 South (Bridge Street becomes Main Street) 1.5 miles to King Street (Rt. 5). Parking: Long-term parking is available at the Northampton Parking Garage located on Hampton Avenue. In addition, short-term parking is available along the Courthouse on Gothic Street and King Street.