Norton Selectmen Object to Housing Regionalization

Board says plan will hurt seniors and handicapped.

Shrinking the state’s 240 local housing authorities to half a dozen regional districts will hurt the seniors and the handicapped, Norton selectmen said Thursday. The board sharply criticized Governor Patrick’s proposed cost saving measure at their regular meeting.  “This wide change would affect thousands of people,” said selectman Bob Salvo, who is also a member of the housing authority. In Massachusetts, about 90,000 state subsidized units house low-income seniors, families, and handicapped residents. Eligible tenants pay about 30 percent of their net income. Seniors and handicapped living in state-operated housing do not pay for utilities, while others pay a portion of that cost. Norton has several state-operated congregate housing …

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AN INSIDE LOOK

Regionalization - a Good Thing or a Bad Thing?

Can it save money, and does it mean less service and control?

Regionalization – it is an interesting word.  It can be considered a good thing, a bad thing, a cost-efficient concept, a loss of control issue, and a service question all at the same time.  For many local cities and towns, it is a way of life.  For others, it is a dirty word. The concept behind it is basic and makes good common sense.  Neighboring communities pool their resources and share some services.  Regional schools like King Philip High and Dighton-Rehoboth High save both towns from having to deal with separate brick-and-mortar expenses.  In the Midwest part of the country (and in fact most places outside of New England) county government regionalizes things like police and fire protection, consolidating control under a shared …

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Selectmen May Pursue Power Regionalization

Solar or hydropower also being considered.

Selectman Bob Kimball says he was taken aback the night of the hurricane, when he was surveying the damage, got to the town line, and saw Mansfield's lights lit up all the way down Route 140 while Norton remained completely black. And like many residents who remained without power while people and businesses in Mansfield and most of N. Attleboro were lit and bustling, he and the rest of the Norton board are thinking ahead, wondering if they can find a solution to a problem before another big one strikes. Norton is flanked by two communities who have their own power companies - Mansfield and Taunton -- and Kimball suggested there could be a way for Norton to have a share of the bounty through a regionalization program. While any attempt to …

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