Administration announces $7M in IT and efficiency grants

Lt. Gov. Polito announces $7 million in fiscal 2023 grants awarded through two Community Compact programs on Dec. 6.

At a State House event yesterday, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announced $7 million in fiscal 2023 grants awarded through two Community Compact programs: Information Technology and Efficiency and Regionalization.

IT grants totalling $5 million were awarded to support technology-focused initiatives in 61 municipalities, and 17 Efficiency and Regionalization grants, totalling $2 million, were awarded for efforts across 102 municipalities.

“This grant cycle includes a number of important technology and cybersecurity project proposals at the municipal level that will improve digital services offerings to constituents and strengthen municipal cybersecurity defenses against potential threats,” said Technology Services and Security Secretary Curt Wood. “I thank our partners in municipal government for their continued leadership on technology modernization and cybersecurity enhancements throughout the Commonwealth.”

The IT grant program focuses on driving innovation and transformation at the local level. More than $24 million has been distributed through 425 grants, supporting nearly 300 municipalities and school districts in efforts to modernize and improve local technology infrastructure and software.

The Efficiency and Regionalization grant program helps municipalities provide services in a more efficient and cost-effective way. Funds are used for the planning and implementation of regionalization initiatives (such as shared services) and for efficiency efforts. Since the program’s launch in fiscal 2017, a total of $9.1 million has been provided through 103 grants that have supported 287 municipalities and school districts.

IT grants
The IT grants announced yesterday include:
• Stoughton ($200,000), Foxborough ($198,960), Wellfleet ($190,708) and Southbridge ($143,360) for the implementation of e-permitting systems, which will improve efficiencies and enhance the ability of residents and businesses to transact and interact with town departments
• Methuen ($200,000), Sheffield ($200,000), Watertown ($190,300), Newton ($140,000) and Paxton ($115,000) for the implementation of records management systems, which will enable more effective management of records, reduce record-keeping redundancies, reduce storage costs, and increase usable office space through the elimination of unnecessary files
• Berkley ($173,349), Dedham ($139,398) and Chicopee ($133,391) for disaster recovery/cybersecurity enhancements
• Rowe ($133,400), Goshen ($86,047) and Warren ($65,000) for the implementation of financial management systems
• Taunton ($200,000) for a surveillance system for the city’s water department assets to enhance the city’s ability to quickly detect and respond to water quality issues
• Hanover ($196,495) for the purchase and installation of a multi-site Ultra High Frequency digital radio system for the town’s schools, which will improve the communication capabilities and enhance the safety and security of public schools within the community
• New Marlborough ($23,791) for the purchase and implementation of management software
• Sandisfield ($75,000) for the implementation of a centralized, web-based security system for a number of municipal buildings
• See the full list of Information Technology grant awardees and projects

Efficiency and Regionalization grants
The fiscal 2023 Efficiency and Regionalization grants include:
• $200,000 for the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to modernize a regional e-permitting system for 23 towns
• $178,123 for Blandford and Chester to share water operators
• $155,000 to complete the final design of a sanitary sewer connection between the towns of Amherst and Hadley
• $147,855 for the Franklin Regional Council of Governments for the development and implementation of an enhanced regional emergency preparation system for the 26 towns of Franklin County
• $100,000 for an electric vehicle charging station plan across Revere, Winthrop, and Chelsea
• $75,000 for regional combined sewer overflow management for the Merrimack River, which will benefit 18 municipalities in the Merrimack Valley
• See the full list of Efficiency and Regionalization grants