NEW: McKee Unveils Plan for Office of Municipal Innovation and Collaboration
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor Dan McKee has unveiled a plan to establish an Office of Municipal Innovation and Collaboration if elected, which would support the extension and expansion of the Rhode Island Municipal Leadership Coalition McKee helped found as Mayor of Cumberland.
The McKee campaign said that still in its nascent stages, the RIMLC, a consortium of about half of Rhode Island's cities and towns, has "already demonstrated the powerful potential of inter-municipal collaboration by developing a group buying contract for health insurance with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island."
According to McKee, the Office of Municipal Innovation and Collaboration (OMIC) would be "staffed with experienced municipal executives" and would have as its initial charge the examination and evaluation of the following initiatives:
McKee's OMIC Goals
McKee outlined the following initiatives on Tuesday, as goals for the proposed office, that would be within the office of Lieutenant Governor.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST* Expand Membership in RIMLC: OMIC would set a goal of helping RIMLC achieve 100% participation by cities and towns within 12 months.
* Regional Emergency Dispatch: OMIC would immediately prepare a report taking prior ideas and discussion of regional dispatch and then proposing a specific plan of action to make the idea a reality, including working with Rhode Island's congressional delegation to identify sources of funding to help realize taxpayer savings as well as standardizing and improving dispatch capabilities and protocol.
* Regionalization of Municipal Animal Shelters: OMIC would launch a feasibility study, including estimated cost savings, and present recommendations to RIMLC based on the case for the development of regional, versus town-based, animal shelters.
* Evaluation of Shared Municipal Administrative and Financial Management Systems: OMIC would solicit consulting proposals to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the costs savings and performance improvements available through the consolidation of certain administrative and financial management functions and/or systems that are common to all cities and towns.
* Development of Best Practices in Municipal Management: OMIC would be charged with the identification and/or development of best practice goals for municipal managers.
* City/Town Council Membership Development: OMIC would also be charged with designing and delivering educational offerings to assist both new and veteran members of municipal governance bodies in the performance of their duties.
* Advocacy of Municipal Interests: OMIC would act in an advocacy role for the common interests of Rhode Island municipalities and look to be a watchdog for proposed unfunded mandates to cities and towns at both the state and federal legislation and/or regulatory level.
Related Slideshow: Rhode Island’s Highest Paid Mayors and Managers
The Rhode Island Department of Revenue's Office of Local Government Assistance, for the past 23 years, has conducted an "annual salary survey" of municipal positions in the state.
Below are the salaries reported for chief executives -- Mayors or Town Managers ranked by municipalities (with the position) in 2012, from lowest to highest. According to the survey, the amount "does not include fringe benefit data."
Positions appointed are indicated with an (A); positions elected are marked with an (E).
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