Federal Reserve to host regional consolidation forum on Feb. 14

Lt. Gov. Murray will deliver opening remarks at a Feb. 14 regional consolidation forum to be hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s New England Public Policy Center.

The forum will feature new research by the New England Public Policy Center exploring if and how local governments in New England could save through greater consolidation of public safety, public health, and high-level government administration services.

Yolanda Kodrzycki, director and vice president of the policy center, will deliver the presentation “The Quest for Cost-Efficient Local Government in New England: What Role for Regional Consolidation?” She will present analysis of the extent to which greater consolidation could yield long-term savings for local governments, with specific focus on Massachusetts and Connecticut.

An hour-long “practitioner panel” will feature Linda Dunlavy, executive director of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, Chelsea City Manager Jay Ash, Burlington Town Administrator John Petrin, and Pam Kocher, director of local policy at the Executive Office for Administration and Finance. The panel will be moderated by David Luberoff, senior project advisor for the Boston Area Research Initiative at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.

The free forum, “Regional Consolidation of Local Government Services in New England: Opportunities and Challenges in Realizing Greater Cost Efficiencies,” will be held from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the Connolly Center, on the fourth floor at 600 Atlantic Ave. in Boston.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.bostonfed.org/economic/neppc/conferences/2013/index.htm. Registration closes on Feb. 12.

Questions may be addressed to neppc@bos.frb.org or (617) 973-4257.