Regionalizing Services May Get Studied

The , in his proposed budget for next year, will include funding for a study on outsourcing and regionalizing town services.

The study idea comes from Selectman Barry Greenfield who says regionalizing or outsourcing some services is a means to slow tax increases.

Greenfield talked at Monday's board meeting about a town in Georgia that has no public employees. The town is an extreme example of a municipality that has regionalized or outsourced its services.

Its fire and police work is done by county forces, he said.

Outsourcing typically involves paying a private company to do jobs that public employees do.

Maylor said the study he’ll propose will look at all the services the town provides — to “kick the tires all the way around” — rather than turning its attention to a particular department.

“Look at everything from cemeteries to the health (department),” he said

It will be up to selectmen to decide if they want to pay for the study as part of next year’s budget.

At least one selectman, the chairman, Matt Strauss, said it is the town administrator’s job to look into regional approaches or outsourcing.

“I don’t know that we need to bring in a consultant to do your job,” he said.

Furthermore, Strauss said the town does not need to pay a consultant to tell it what it already knows and does well.

The board stopped short of voting — to give a sense of their support for Greenfield’s idea.

Maylor advised them to avoid the vote, saying protocol called for him to propose the item and for them to debate it as part of their budget review.