Municipal Officials Learn More about Regionalization at Event Organized by Bernstein Shur

City and town officials from across Maine gathered last week to learn more about one of the pressing topics in municipal government: the regionalization of public services.

Bernstein Shur, a statewide law firm that serves more than 125 Maine cities and towns, hosted the daylong seminar to provide an in-depth, wide ranging examination of the issue, including innovative approaches and opportunities.

As more and more municipalities look for ways to contain costs without reducing essential services, the notion of regionalization by sharing costs and services continues to gather momentum.

The symposium was moderated by former Gov. Angus King, now of counsel at Bernstein Shur, who said that while Mainers value local control, the sharing of municipal services is likely inevitable.

Attorneys Katherine Knox of Portland and Geoffrey Hole of Harpswell discussed initiatives at the state level, including three bills from the most recent legislative session. One included a pilot program aimed at the creation of municipal service districts. Participants also were given an update on the work on the Intergovernmental Advisory Commission and the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Local and Regional Services.

“Participants were encouraged that the Legislature would continue with its current trend of voluntary incentivization of regionalization programs,” Knox said. “A combination of public promises on the part of Gov. Baldacci and a strong municipal lobby in Augusta will likely help boost funding for new initiatives.”

Attorney Christopher Vaniotis of North Yarmouth discussed mechanisms available under current Maine law that allow municipalities to engage in cooperative endeavors. The techniques range from simple contracts for the sharing of services, equipment, or personnel through more formal “interlocal agreements” which establish joint boards or commissions, all the way to actual consolidation of municipalities by forming a joint charter commission. All of those methods can be initiated by municipalities themselves, without the need for any new or special legislation, he said.

One of the key considerations in sharing services is the impact on municipal employees. Attorney Linda McGill of Freeport explained that changes in service delivery often mean changes in the terms and conditions of employment for municipal workers, as functions and jobs are created, consolidated, re-structured, or eliminated.

“Union contracts, labor laws, municipal personnel ordinances, and state and federal employment laws may affect the strategies and structure of regionalization plans,” said McGill, who offered an overview of the relevant laws and their application to present and future regionalization efforts.

Attorney Rob Crawford of Cumberland reviewed opportunities available for communities to collaborate or consolidate the tax assessing and tax revenue administration. In New York, for example, incentive programs are offered for municipalities that consolidate assessing services.

Attendees also heard presentations about regionalization success stories and challenges faced. Auburn City Manager Pat Finnigan and Greg Mitchell, Lewiston’s Assistant City Administrator for Economic Development, discussed the successful collaboration in their communities, while Yarmouth Town Manager Nat Tupper explained efforts taking place in his region. Also, Dr. John Baillie, the executive director of the Chester County (Pa.) Intermediate Unit, provided an overview of regionalization efforts working in Pennsylvania.

Bernstein Shur’s Municipal and Legislative Practice is the largest, longest-serving, and most extensive practice group of its kind in Maine, with 11 attorneys representing more than 125 municipalities as either general or special counsel.

Bernstein Shur is one of northern New England’s largest full-service law firms, with more than 80 attorneys in Portland and Augusta, Maine and Manchester, New Hampshire. Established in 1915, the firm provides practical legal counsel to a diverse group of public and private clients throughout the region and around the world. For more information, visit bernsteinshur.com.

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