BUCKLAND, Mass. — Three North County communities Thursday received a $100,000 grant from the commonwealth to support creation of a shared human resources position.
Adams, North Adams and Williamstown teamed up to apply for a grant under Massachusetts' Community Compact Cabinet Efficiency and Regionalization Grant Program.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who chairs the Community Compact Cabinet, announced 13 grants totaling $1.6 million in Buckland, which will share police services with Shelburne with the proceeds of a $200,000 grant.
"This year's Efficiency and Regionalization grants will again fund a wide range of innovative projects that will have outsized benefits on the recipient constituencies," Polito said. "We appreciate the continued commitment of our local community leaders in identifying opportunities to drive maximal impact through these collaborative regional efforts."
Four other Berkshire County communities received grants that were announced on Thursday. Becket and Otis received $46,852 for shared police services; a similar program between Dalton and Hinsdale received a $25,000 boost from the state.
The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission received a $70,280 grant to develop a shared administrator program, initially with the town of Savoy.
Together with $200,000 for shared policing in Russell and Montgomery, $40,000 to Northfield to explore regionalized emergency medical services and $95,000 for economic development to the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Western Massachusetts received more than $777,000 of the $1.6 million in grants announced on Thursday.
In Williamstown, the shared HR position will help address a need identified last year in the fallout from a high-profile lawsuit against the town over alleged misconduct in the Williamstown Police Department.
One of the steps the Select Board took to address the issues resulting from the lawsuit was to commission an
audit of the town's personnel policies and assessment of its human resources needs by the Andover firm Human Resources Services.
One takeaway from the consultant's report was that the town's current management structure was ill-equipped to deliver HR services for its employees.
"The town has a very capable staff and they are to be commended for providing excellent service and guidance to all departments; however, the staff number responsible for the provision of HR services as a strategic partner to departments is woefully limited," the report read. "The staffing levels need to be enhanced. In order to move [forward] with these plans, some assistance will be needed through additional staffing/re-allocation of staff, as well as outside resources may be required for some development and implementation."
Residents critical of the town's efforts in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion frequently point to the town's approach to human resources as one issue that needs to be addressed. And the HRS report noted that area of need.
"While we cannot change the demographics of Williamstown, the town can change its approach to recruitment; they need to work more resourcefully to reach a more diverse candidate pool," the report read.
Interim Town Manager Charlie Blanchard last month told the Select Board that the planned shared position with Adams and North Adams will help Williamstown's diversity effort.
"That DEI component of the HR position was highlighted in the application put in for that grant," Blanchard said. "The other communities involved, North Adams and Adams have been understanding they need to deal with that as well. So that is a component of the responsibility of the shared HR position."
Adams Town Administrator Jay Green said a human resources professional can help the towns find and keep the right employees.
"The program will fund the benefits and salary for either an HR specialist, who will work for all three communities, or a consultant to bring in to update our human resources personnel policy regulations," Green said.
"This person will look at [human resources policy] and update and implement it, brief us on new labor laws, rules, regulations, that type of thing. And help us out with recruitment. The Berkshires is very hard to recruit people and retain. So it's going to advise all three communities on recruitment and retention."