Bill > S1077

This bill, titled "Promoting municipal collaboration and regionalization throughout the Commonwealth," aims to encourage cities and towns to work together by allowing them to enter into "joint powers agreements." These agreements, which can be made between various governmental units like cities, towns, regional school districts, and state agencies, permit them to jointly exercise common powers and duties within a designated "region," which is a geographically defined area. The bill outlines the requirements for these agreements, including specifying their purpose, the services to be jointly performed, the structure of the entity created to manage these services, how they will be financed, and procedures for termination or adding new participants. The entity created by such an agreement will be a public body with the power to sue and be sued, enter contracts, manage funds, and apply for grants, and will be governed by a board of directors representing each participating unit. The bill also makes several amendments to existing laws to streamline processes for regional cooperation, particularly concerning waste disposal and other municipal services, and requires state secretaries to evaluate their programs for opportunities to promote inter-municipal cooperation and to prioritize grant applications from municipalities that demonstrate joint efficiency.