MMA letter to Economic Development Committee urging support for Innovative Communities Program

The Honorable Joseph F. Wagner, House Chair
The Honorable Eileen M. Donoghue, Senate Chair
Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies
State House, Boston

Dear Representative Wagner, Senator Donoghue, and Distinguished Committee Members,

On behalf of the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, the Massachusetts Municipal Association appreciates the opportunity to offer testimony in strong support of S. 234, An Act Relative to innovative Communities, sponsored by Senator Karen Spilka and others. If passed, this bill would create a new opportunity for municipalities to access technology solutions with state assistance, and we urge you to give it a favorable report.

The Innovative Communities Program, as proposed by this legislation, would create an incentive for municipalities to adopt new technology by connecting them with relevant Massachusetts startups seeking to introduce new products into the technology market place.

In order to be designated an Innovative Community and participate in the program, a municipality would be required, at local option, to: (1) pass a resolution by a vote of the local governing body committing to the program; (2) make public any municipal datasets maintained by the municipality (excluding those exempted by privacy laws); (3) commit to attend meetings and events organized by the state; and (4) commit to testing at least one technology annually that has been vetted and approved by the state, and share the results of the trial with other municipalities participating in the program. Once designated an Innovative Community by the Secretary of Administration and Finance, the municipality would have access to the program, including grants for the technology and technical assistance. This unique program would foster public/private collaboration, promote economic development, and make new technologies accessible to interested municipal governments that might otherwise lack the resources to acquire them. Importantly, it would also foster the sharing of information and best practices between participating municipalities, accelerating the speed of innovation within these communities.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to submit testimony in support of this legislation. If you have any questions, please feel free to have your staff contact Catherine Rollins of the MMA staff at 617-426-7272 at any time.

Sincerely,
Geoffrey C. Beckwith
Executive Director & CEO, MMA