Happy New Year! A new year is a wonderful chance for a fresh start, but it sure would be nice to have some idea of what’s ahead for your organization in the coming year, wouldn’t it?

Fortunately, we’ve now got just the thing. Our brand new proprietary and totally-not-made-up Public Organization Management Predict-O-Matic (POMPOM™) can foresee with frightening accuracy what’s in store for your organization this year! Check it out. Just keep reading and POMPOM™ will help you prepare for 2024...

• Staffing changes. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but one of your key team members is leaving in the coming year. Are you prepared for it? Do you have any redundancy built in or a succession plan ready? 

• Budget challenges. The fiscal storm clouds are certainly gathering. Have you completed a financial forecast with scenario planning to be prepared? 

• Communications complaints. Someone (or likely a group of someones) is going to get up at the very last planning meeting of a multi-year public process and say, “How come this is the first I’m hearing about this?” And after all of that outreach you did. 

• Continued frustration from that small-but-impossible-to-fix operational headache that you’ve wanted to solve for years. You know that process should be three steps, but it takes your organization seven. It's been that way for years. Unfortunately, solving it would take so much time and political capital, so nothing changes. 

• Increasing complexity. How will that latest state law, court case, or completely unexpected policy trend affect your existing operations and services? Whatever the specifics, it’s going to make your work more complicated. 

Yikes! Sounds like a challenging year ahead. Now for a little good news. Because we knew those things were coming, we’ve got you covered. We have teams ready to help you tackle those issues and whatever else comes your way. Send us an email, give us a call, or come visit our booth at the MMA trade show. (Booth 200, first row, far left corner when you enter the hall – super easy to find.)

Have a great 2024. Hope to get a chance to work with you this year.

Mike Ward, Director 

When Prop 2 ½ became law in the early 1980s, it radically altered how assessing offices operated around the Commonwealth, requiring skilled professionals to meet the law’s new requirements. Forty years on, many of these highly trained assessors are retiring and, like many areas of municipal finance, qualified replacements are difficult to find.

Recognizing these challenges, the Collins Center has developed services to support assessing offices, including bringing key subject matter experts on board. The Center offers the following services and is available to discuss other issues and solutions.

• Recruitment and Retention Services: Are you having issues recruiting or retaining staff? Our services include recruitment, succession planning, job description and salary review, and mentoring/coaching. 

• Organizational Review: Is work going unfinished because you are understaffed? Are processes inefficient? We can review structure, staffing levels, and roles/responsibilities, and make recommendations for improvement. 

• Operational Review: How does your assessing office fit in with your financial team? We can review key processes and procedures and make recommendations to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the assessing office as a key player on the team.

• Board of Assessors: Have your elections been competitive for board members? Our team can study the pros and cons of elected versus appointed positions. We can also provide orientation and training for board members and inexperienced staff. 

• Technology Implementation / Upgrades: Our team can assist with figuring out the right services or technology you need, and project manage a technology upgrade to improve assessment results and processes.

Investing in your assessor’s office pays dividends when it is time to set the tax rate. Please contact Sarah Concannon at sarah.concannon@umb.edu for more information or to discuss a project. 

Look Who Joined the Collins Center!

We are excited to announce that Becca Meekins, Brianna Sunryd, and Anthony Wilson have joined the Center’s leadership team as Public Services Managers. With these three on board, the Center continues to expand its services and areas of expertise. 

BECCA BRIENZA MEEKINS, M.P.A. is well positioned to take the helm of the Center’s Finance and DEI teams, as well as join the Human Resources team. As Assistant Town Administrator in both Northborough and Grafton, Becca was instrumental in developing and implementing financial and human resource policies in each community. She has also held leadership roles with the Massachusetts Municipal Association, the Massachusetts Municipal Human Resources Association, and Massachusetts Women Leading Government, including co-chairing MMMA’s committee on DEI. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Clark University and is a Certified Public Purchasing Officer.

BRIANNA SUNRYD, M.P.P. joins us following years of leadership in municipal government and communications. Brianna will lead the new Resilience & Sustainability, and Public Innovation Design Studio teams, and support the Communications and Health and Human Services teams. Most recently, she served as Director of Communications and Civic Innovation for the Town of Amherst and has held key roles in the City of Worcester. Brianna is familiar to many for her active service on the boards of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, International City/County Management Association, and other professional groups. She holds a Master of Public Policy from UMass Amherst School of Public Policy and a BA in Communications from UMass Amherst. 

ANTHONY IVAN WILSON, Esq. has provided expertise to the Center as an Associate since 2021. He now leads the Charter and Organizational Structure team and serves as a Public Services Manager on the Community Economic Development and Public Innovation Design Studio teams. Prior to joining the Center, Anthony worked as counsel for the City of Springfield and held city clerk positions in both Springfield and Cambridge. Anthony also founded Ofcounsels, an organization that matches law students with real world experience. He is a graduate of Suffolk University Law and Clark Atlanta University. 

Join the Team!

The Collins Center’s Classification and Compensation Division of the Human Resources Team needs more hourly staff. If you have a background in human resources and/or municipal government, and an interest in doing classification and compensation work, please reach out to Becca Meekins at becca.meekins@umb.edu. 

Leyden Public Safety Advisory Committee Dissolves, Greenfield Recorder, January 7, 2024 

Recall Provision Among Changes Contemplated in Williamstown Charter, iBerkshire.com, December 19, 2023 

Longmeadow IT Study Finds Need for Streamlined Systems, The Reminder, December 19, 2023 

Somerville Weighs Raises for Non-Union Workers, The Tufts Daily, December 11, 2023 

Collins and Commonwealth Corps Awarded SCALE Grant, Healey-Driscoll Administration news release, December 8, 2023 

Committee Studying Forms of Government for Ludlow, The Reminder, December 5, 2023 

As a state agency, the Collins Center is exempt from state procurement law (MGL Chapter 30B). Cities, towns, regions, and school districts may simply negotiate a scope of services and a price with the Center, saving both time and money. Similarly, Massachusetts state agencies may enter into Interagency Service Agreements with the Center. 

If you have questions or want to discuss potential projects, please contact Sarah Concannon, Director of Municipal Services, sarah.concannon@umb.edu.

University of Massachusetts Boston

The Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management

100 Morrissey Blvd.

Boston, MA 02125

collins.center@umb.edu

www.linkedin.com/company/collinscenter