Administration awards $3.7M in IT grants to 55 municipalities

The Baker-Polito administration on Dec. 10 announced $3.7 million in grants to 55 municipalities through the Community Compact Cabinet Information Technology grant program.

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito made the announcement during a virtual award ceremony, attended by recipients, local and state officials, and community leaders. She said the grant program has had “an outsized impact on economic and community development, and this round of awards will ensure that cities and towns deliver better services for Massachusetts residents for years to come.”

More than $15 million in municipal IT grants has been issued over the past four years, supporting more than 300 municipalities and school districts.

At the ceremony, Gov. Charlie Baker noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, “we have seen incredible innovation from our local communities to provide services to residents, and we are pleased to see various cities, towns and school districts take advantage of this program.”

Community Compact IT grant initiatives in this round of funding include the following:
• West Springfield will receive a $115,750 grant to purchase a modern human resources system that centralizes town and school HR operations.
• New Bedford will receive a $176,972 grant to bolster its cybersecurity infrastructure and improve disaster recovery capabilities.
• Monterey will receive a $82,000 grant to implement a web-based road surface temperature measurement system.
• Cummington will receive a $69,631 grant to deploy a computer network to complete a recently built fiber optic network.

Formed in January 2015, the Community Compact Cabinet is chaired by Polito and includes the secretaries of Housing and Economic Development, Education, Transportation, Energy and Environmental Affairs, and Technology Services and Security, along with the senior deputy commissioner of Local Services and the assistant secretary of Operational Services. The Community Compact Cabinet elevates the administration’s partnerships with cities and towns, and allows the governor’s office to work more closely with municipal leaders.