Municipal Resources

Along with being available to assist you with questions about local government and regional issues, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments also provides multiple resources, such as county road maps, surveys, directories, and training opportunities for municipal officials. We are always looking for suggestions regarding the types of trainings and workshops our municipal officials would like to attend.

Wage and Salary Survey: The Franklin Regional Council of Governments publishes an annual Wage and Salary Survey for Franklin County local officials, providing information on municipal compensation and benefits packages.

Municipal Directory : The Franklin Regional Council of Governments annually publishes a Municipal Directory which lists contact information for municipal officials, departments, and services for each of the county’s 26 municipalities. If you find any inaccuracies or wish to update the information from your municipality for either the Wage and Salary Survey or the Municipal Directory, please do not hesitate to contact Rebekah Boyd at admin@frcog.org or 413-774-3167, ext. 100.

Vacant and Abandoned Buildings: Options for Town Officials: Vacant and abandoned buildings can be a financial drain on towns, can pose health and safety issues for residents and first responders, and can decrease the value of nearby properties. FRCOG Planning staff, partnering with our Cooperative Public Health Service, developed a Toolkit to help towns address vacant and abandoned buildings, focused on housing. The toolkit includes: 1) How to form a task force and who should serve on it, 2) How to inventory vacant and abandoned properties and set priorities for resolving issues and 3) how to follow various paths a town can pursue to clean up these properties. Click here to download a copy of the Toolkit. Learn about the Attorney General’s Abandoned Housing Initiative here. More information: Phoebe Walker at walkerATfrcog.org or (413) 774-3167 x 102.

Local Official Capacity Building Workshop Series

The Workshop Series is a monthly series that provides new and veteran town officials with continuing education on statutory requirements, best practices, and emerging issues of town governance. All town officials are always welcome.
The workshops are free but we request that you register ahead of time. A flyer will be available before each workshop on the Meetings and Events calendar on this website. All workshops are held at the John W. Olver Transit Center, 12 Olive Street, Greenfield, Massachusetts.

Materials from the Local Official Capacity Building Series 2018-19

Materials from the Municipal Finance training:
Municipal Calendar from the DOR Division of Local Services
Slides from the workshop
Finance Seminar Spreadsheets
Some cyber-security tips from Mass.Gov

Materials from the Local Official Capacity Building Series 2017-18
Short Term Rentals and Your Town
Elected Officials Preparedness Series
Mass Atty General Office Adult Use Cannabis Muni Info Session Notes
Abandoned Property Toolkit (see above)
Cannabis Control Commission presentation on final regulations

Materials from the Local Official Capacity Building Series 2016-2017
marijuana-and-the-developing-brain-july-5-2016
Commercial Wood Heat and Air Quality Peltier
MassDEP-wood-heat-air quality
kp-565115-v4-public_records_law_training_sessions
the-new-public-records-law-top-ten-practical-and-policy-issues
Local Officials Climate Change Workshop Presentation materials
Public Records Law workshop 6/29/17: KP Law Presentation Slides