Central Mass. officials tout Community Compacts
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Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito is bouncing from town hall to town hall in central Massachusetts on Monday, meeting with officials from Boylston, West Boylston, Milford and Princeton, and signing Community Compacts with those towns.
In its second year, the Community Compact program connects state and municipal government to work together so the communities have state support in pursuing best practices in designated areas like information technology, housing, or transportation.
Polito's round of compact signings began in Boylston, where town officials are looking forward to some state assistance in conducting a human resources audit to make sure the town is in compliance with all state and federal regulations, Boylston Town Administrator Martin McNamara said.
The compact with Boylston will also allow the town to review its employee compensation rates and improve the job descriptions for several town jobs.
"We're a pretty small town so we don't have anybody we can assign these duties to on a permanent basis," McNamara told the News Service. "This will help us get it started, at least."
While she is in town, McNamara said he hopes to bend Polito's ear about impacts of a new FedEx distribution center on Route 140 that is expected to bring about 500 jobs to Boylston.
The $360 million facility is planned for a spot near the intersection of Route 140 and I-290, an area that McNamara noted Shrewsbury resident Polito is likely familiar with, and the town wants to talk with her about the possibility of traffic study assistance from the Department of Transportation, he said.
Polito will next head to West Boylston at 10:15 a.m. to sign a compact that will allow the town to move ahead with its Complete Streets prioritization plan.
"That's a very high priority the selectmen have set for the town for this year, so it's a perfect tie-in," West Boylston Town Administrator Anita Scheipers said.
West Boylston's compact will also allow the town to contract with a consultant this winter to conduct a housing needs analysis, Scheipers said, with the ultimate goal of meeting the town's Chapter 40B affordable housing quota.
The next stop on Polito's central Mass. tour is Milford, where she will sign a compact that will help the town determine which of its buildings are not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and guide the town through some IT efforts.
"We're hoping to completely re-do our town website, so that's kind of going to be the focus," Milford Town Administrator Richard Villani said. "We've already had a preliminary telephone call with folks at the state on that."
The last stop on Monday itinerary is Princeton, where Polito will sign a compact that addresses IT, human resources and town finances at 4:30 p.m.
Princeton Town Administrator Nina Nazarian said the town is looking forward to signing the compact and being able to conduct an assessment of its IT department and developing a capital improvement plan.
The compact will also give the town some assistance in developing "employee policies and procedures for things such as discrimination, sexual harassment, information technologies, drug and alcohol, the use of social media and town-owned vehicles," Nazarian said.
Once all four compacts are signed Monday, 242 of the state's 351 municipalities will have signed a Community Compact, according to the governor's office.
Gov. Charlie Baker is headed to Florida Monday for Republican Governors Association meetings. Polito will serve as acting governor in his absence.
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