Press Releases
06/23/2016
Gov. Malloy Announces $4.3 Million in State Grants to Help Municipalities Cut Costs Through Regionalization of Services
(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced today that $4.3 million in funding is being awarded to nine regional councils of government and a regional economic district to assist towns and cities throughout the state in reducing costs and burdens by providing support for their efforts to regionalize services and coordinate essential functions of government.
The grants are being awarded under the state's Regional Performance Incentive Program (RPIP), which is administered by the Office of Policy and Management (OPM). Any councils of governments, two or more municipalities, or regional economic district are eligible for a grant under RPIP.
"In this new economic reality, it is crucial that we remain steadfast in our commitment to improve and streamline the way that government works at every level," Governor Malloy said. "These grants will encourage municipalities and regions to rethink the way they provide local services - resulting in more efficiencies and smaller costs for taxpayers."
"Regionalization of services is not only cost-effective and economical, it is smart policy," OPM Secretary Ben Barnes said. "As we continue to make difficult decisions about funding services at the state level, we must support municipalities and regions that are coming together to coordinate and provide important services to residents while saving taxpayer dollars."
The grants awarded today include:
- Capitol Region Council of Governments - Anchor Institution and Neighborhood Engagement in Transit-Oriented Development ($200,000): These funds will be used to build on the anchor institution analysis underwritten by a grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving: Best Practices in Engaging Anchor Institutions and Neighborhoods to Build Corridors of Opportunity Along CTfastrak. This grant will expand the geographic scope of the previous analysis to include the CTrail-Hartford Line and CTfastrak, and will also fund next steps identified through the Hartford Foundation-funded project. Anchor institutions include hospitals, universities/colleges, and large employers, which provide opportunities to support ridership and increase economic activity within the transit corridors.
- Lower CT River Valley Council of Governments - Regional Wetlands Data Set ($95,000): This grant will provide for current, accurate mapping of wetland boundaries for the region.
- Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments - Regional Waste Water Treatment Study ($1,350,000): These funds will be used to conduct a study of the consolidation of the Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, Beacon Falls, and Naugatuck wastewater facilities.
- Northeastern CT Council of Governments - Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Study, Phase II ($100,000): A study will be conducted to examine, in consultation with current service providers, alternatives to the current health care delivery system, and to make recommendations to enhance patient care.
- Northeastern CT Council of Governments - Regional Household Hazardous Waste Facility ($708,500): This grant will provide funds to construct and operate an indoor regional household hazardous waste facility that will serve all 16 member towns.
- Northeastern CT Council of Governments - Enhanced Regional Animal Services Facility (Expansion and Code Compliance) ($608,000): These funds will be used to bring the regional animal care facility in compliance with state standards, add capacity, and improve animal welfare.
- Northwest Hills Council of Governments - Rural Broadband & Mobile Enhancement: Technology and Business Model Study ($200,000): This grant will fund a study with the goal of developing a technology and business model to provide high speed broadband and mobile coverage services to the Northwest Hills Region as well as four towns in the northern end of the Western CT Council of Governments region.
- Northwest Hills Council of Governments - Litchfield Hills Animal Shelter Facility Design and Engineering ($110,000): Phase 2 of this project (following the region's Animal Shelter Feasibility Analysis funded by an RPI grant in 2012) will include facility design and engineering.
- REX Development - Regional Economic Development Asset Mapping ($130,150): These funds will be used for an asset mapping study for the South Central CT Council of Governments in order for each municipality in the region to build upon and coordinate those assets for the betterment of the region.
- REX Development - Regional Revenue Sharing Study ($73,900): This grant will fund a study on the implementation of a regional revenue sharing structure.
- Southeastern CT Council of Governments - Regional Community Rating Feasibility Study ($200,000): These funds will be used to develop a model for member municipalities to use to become Community Rating System-certified under the National Flood Insurance Program, which would allow participating municipalities to reduce flood insurance rates for their citizens while implementing activities to reduce losses caused by flooding.
- Southeastern CT Council of Governments - Regional Human Services Study ($150,000): This grant will fund a study of services, redundancies, and gaps in service provided by southeastern Connecticut's non-profit human services agencies to identify partnerships that can improve services and reduce costs.
- South Central Regional Council of Governments - Regional Open Space Inventory ($74,228): These funds will be used for development of a parcel-level inventory of public and private open space parcels in the South Central Region.
- Western CT Council of Governments - Snow Plow Routing Study and Development ($254,782): This study would find the optimal route for snow plows and disseminate that information to participating municipalities.
- Twitter: @GovMalloyOffice
- Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy