Rep. Joe Aresimowicz Announces Bipartisan Panel Charged With Helping Towns

House Majority Leader Joe Aresimowicz (D-Berlin & Southington) joined Speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey (D-Hamden) and other lawmakers to announce the establishment of a bipartisan panel charged with helping towns reduce their costs and increase efficiencies.

“From my experience serving on the Berlin town council and on the original MORE Commission, I know there is so much more that can be done to make our local governments as efficient as possible—without sacrificing the services Connecticut residents deserve and depend on,” said Rep. Aresimowicz (D-Berlin), who chaired one of the original MORE subcommittees.

The legislature is resurrecting the M.O.R.E. (Municipal Opportunities & Regional Efficiencies) Commission, which was originally created by House Democrats in 2010 and resulted in a set of new laws focused on encouraging regional cooperation. The revamped MORE Commission will include House and Senate members of both political parties as well as local officials.

“Budget challenges of today must be met with finding new ways to do more with less tomorrow,” Speaker Sharkey said. “The ability of cities and towns to operate efficiently and in partnership with surrounding towns and the state is critical to supporting our economy.”

Aresimowicz said that recommendations for legislation are expected to be ready in time for action by during this year’s legislative session which concludes June 5.

Laws resulting from the work of the 2010 MORE Commission include:

• PA10-167: Established regional incentive grants for local boards of education that save money on school transportation through inter-town agreements.
• PA10-171: Relinquishes local taxpayers of the financial responsibility of removing and storing evicted tenant's possessions by assigning that responsibility to the state.
• PA10-174:  Allows two or more boards of education to jointly purchase health insurance for their employees.