What Towns Are Doing Now
Androscoggin Valley – Sharing CEO services
The Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments received a state grant to explore the costs and legal issues of providing code enforcement services for their member towns. A study identifies potential savings and service improvements and a methodology for towns to establish permit fees to cover the full cost of the CEO.
- Shared Staffing by Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, the final report on the regional efficiency grant study, November 2006.
Augusta - Merging quasi-municipal districts
In 2007, the Augusta Water District and Augusta Sanitary District became one Augusta Utilities District in order to achieve operational efficiencies. A report prepared by Kay Rand, Consultant, Bernstein Shur Government Solutions, details the three-year effort. Click here for the report (PDF 240KB)
Cumberland County – Shared Assessing
The County, using an advisory group of assessors, town managers, and county staff, studied the costs of property tax assessment in individual towns and compared it to what it might cost if done more collaboratively. The study shows the potential savings of countywide assessing to be 50%.
East Millinocket-Millinocket – Shared Recreation Services
The East Millinocket and Millinocket recreation departments have consolidated services. The towns share a director and assistantdirector and individuals in each community participate in activities taking place in the other community. FMI: http://www.millinocket.org/recreation.php.
Farmington, Jay, Livermore, Livermore Falls, Wilton – Collaborating on fire services
The five-town region studied their fire departments to identify ways to provide more efficient and cost-effective fire protection services. They have created a joint web site for information-sharing, conducted joint purchases of equipment, and implemented common standard operating guidelines. Next, the towns will pursue regional dispatching.
Gateway 1 – Joint land use and transportation planning
21 communities along the Rte 1 corridor from Brunswick to Prospect have formally joined together to collaboratively and regionally plan for land use and transportation change in order to preserve both quality of life in the Midcoast and the capacity of Route 1 as a regional arterial and economic lifeline. The communities are working with MaineDOT to develop a corridor plan and to implement the plan across town boundaries. FMI: http://www.gateway1.org/
Lewiston-Auburn – Merging municipal departments
A citizens commission appointed by the two mayors of Maine’s twin cities was asked to develop plans for new and enhanced cooperative, collaborative, and consolidated city services. The commission identified $2.6 million in savings along with improved efficiencies from consolidated municipal departments. FMI: http://www.ci.lewiston.me.us/jointservices/
Mapleton, Castle Hill, and Chapman – Shared town services
The three Aroostook County towns signed an interlocal agreement in 1992 combining almost all town government activities into a single town office located in Mapleton. The towns are each governed by their own board of selectmen and share a town manager. In addition to regular selectmen’s meetings, there is a joint selectmen’s meeting each month. In 2006, the three towns combined accounting systems using software purchased jointly, customized for multi-town use.
Interlocal agreement for Sharing Joint General and Administrative Expenses, Joint Highway Department Expenses, and the Approval Process
- Introduction (PDF 116KB)
- Section 1 – General and Administrative Joint Expense Cost Sharing Agreement (PDF 116KB)
- Section 2 – Joint Highway Agreement and Cost Sharing Formula (PDF 248KB)
- Section 3 – Administration, Joint Board of Selectmen, Administrator (PDF 199KB)
- Section 3 – Administration, Property (PDF 236KB)
- Section 3 – Administration, Personnel (PDF 124KB)
- Section 4 – Joint Budget Approval and Adoption Process (PDF 224KB)
- Section V/VI – Remedies, Misc (PDF 233KB)
Mt Agamenticus to the Sea – Coordinated land use planning
The six towns of Ogunquit, Wells, South Berwick, York, Eliot, and Kittery have established common conservation goals in their comprehensive plans and are working with a coalition of 10 conservation organizations to develop land use ordinances to protect the lands around Mt Agamenticus in York County. FMI: http://www.mtatosea.org/index.html
Northern Maine – Combining financial accounting services
The towns of Allagash, New Canada, Frenchville, St. Agatha, Madawaska, Van Buren, Caribou, Fort Fairfield, and the County of Aroostook studied the feasibility of a shared financial accounting center that would provide assessing, tax billing, and tax collection services to participating communities. The report indicated the service would be feasible if a sufficient number of municipalities participated to achieve the economies of scale.
Waterville-Winslow
The two communities explored consolidating the public safety departments. While ultimately deciding not to pursue consolidation, the study work provides a valuable basis for future cooperation.
Yarmouth and Partners Regionalization Efforts
The towns of Falmouth, Freeport, Cumberland, North Yarmouth, and Yarmouth have a long history of cooperation in assessing, dispatch and communications, general assistance, planning, and code enforcement.
- Presentation by Nat Tupper, Town Manager, Town of Yarmouth, November 2005 (PDF 57KB)
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