A quick look at one of the many governing organizations that control our state.
Massachusetts County Governments
Most county governments in the Commonwealth were abolished in the 1990s and early 2000s after financial scandals. As a result, many of the services once provided by county offices were centralized at the state level, removing regional control.[i][ii]
Section 4. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, all functions, duties and responsibilities of an abolished county pursuant to this chapter including, but not limited to, the operation and management of the county jail and house of correction, the registry of deeds and the courthouses are hereby transferred from said county to the commonwealth on the transfer date or, in the case of Hampshire county, September 1, 1998, or, in the case of the Suffolk and Berkshire counties’ registries of deeds, on July 1, 1999, subject to the provisions of this chapter.
Any property, assets, or liabilities associated with the transferred services were also transferred to the state.[iii]
Five counties—Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Norfolk, and Plymouth—maintain some form of county government, with some services provided by the state.[iv]
Additionally, there are no county election offices, as in most other states. Massachusetts elections are conducted by each of the 351 municipalities, divided into nine congressional districts, with state oversight by the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Massachusetts Regional Planning Agencies
Thirteen regional development organizations in Massachusetts, known as Regional Planning Agencies (RPA), were created under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40B Section 2 in the 1960s.[v] The agencies are organized under The Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies (MARPA).
The RPAs are advisory bodies that help neighboring cities and towns deal with issues that affect their region, such as:[vi]
• affordable housing production and retention;
• climate change and natural hazards mitigation;
• community and economic development;
• environmental stewardship;
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and data mapping;
• historic preservation;
• infrastructure development and maintenance;
• land use planning, zoning, and other controls;
• municipal and regional services, i.e. health care, inspections, animal control;
• public safety, including fire, police, emergency medical services;
• solid waste management and recycling, and
• transportation and transit.
One might notice that many of these services used to be offered and managed by the former county government structure but were ultimately relegated to each municipality. Although they were formed decades before the abolishment of the county governments, these RPAs seem to have replaced the traditional county structure.
Each RPA is comprised of appointed delegates from member communities, usually consisting of a municipality’s Planning Board member and a Selectman or Mayor. RPA membership is voluntary, although most, if not all, municipalities belong to an RPA.
Considerations
Massachusetts is rife with thousands of agencies, boards, commissions, and the like that operate our communities. Many of which go unnoticed—or unknown—by the average citizen. The standardized governmental structure we learned about in civics class—State>County>Local—does not apply here in the Commonwealth. Instead, our cities and towns are ultimately managed by a confounding mishmash of organizations, each with its own agenda.
Perhaps the Massachusetts county governments of yore were corrupt and deserved to be reformed. However, the RPAs and other organizations that replaced them must be held to a high standard and not allowed to operate without public oversight.
Transparency begins with education. Massachusetts citizens need to learn about these groups and about the decision-makers that run them. Look to 351 Post News for articles highlighting some of these organizations in the future.
By Jana K.
Sources:
[i] Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, December 29). Administrative divisions of Massachusetts. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_divisions_of_Massachusetts
[ii] Section 4. General Law – Part I, Title VI, Chapter 34B, Section 4. (n.d.). https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleVI/Chapter34B/Section4
[iii] Section 6. General Law – Part I, Title VI, Chapter 34B, Section 6. (n.d.). https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleVI/Chapter34B/Section6
[iv] Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, April 13). List of counties in Massachusetts. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Massachusetts
[v] Section 2. General Law – Part I, Title VII, Chapter 40B, Section 2. (n.d.). https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleVII/Chapter40B/Section2
[vi] What we do. MARPA. (n.d.). https://massmarpa.org/about-us2/what-we-do/
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