A mid-December 2016 survey by InformCT of 510 state residents indicated support for regionalization of some services, with survey results indicating that animal control and educational services can also be effectively regionalized.

That small survey reflects a direction that has already been embraced in Newtown for various services, and reflects forward thinking to proactively position our town. It is unrealistic to believe that the future will not require partnering for better or additional services, as both state and municipalities strive to bring the best to residents in an age of ever-increasing costs.

Regionalization can positively affect a community's ability to obtain and/or maintain services by lowering or sharing costs, increasing efficiency, and improving access to state and federal grants. With residents ever less enthralled by rising taxes that support services, yet still in need of educational, health, and town services, opportunities to regionalize must be considered.

Currently, Newtown's Health District works with Bridgewater and Roxbury to handle public health functions, with positive outcomes for this tri-city partnership.

Our fire companies offer and accept mutual aid for major incidents, and the town cooperatively purchases road sand and salt, heating oil, fuels, and janitorial items with state and regional outlets to reduce costs. The Newtown Police Department annual budget funds an officer to the regional narcotics task force unit.

Smaller savings have been generated by sharing services between town departments, a kind of micro-regionalization.

There is room for multi-town cooperation in education, Dr Joseph V. Erardi, Jr, superintendent of Newtown Schools, noted to The Newtown Bee. He sees regionalizing some services as beneficial to students and educators. Maintaining local control but looking outside the boundaries could enhance student learning. Inviting area towns experiencing growing school populations to utilize unused space in schools like Newtown's, where school populations are decreasing, could serve all. Dr Erardi pointed to the relationship with Monroe, in which Newtown students were housed at Chalk Hill School. Through cooperation of good leaders, regionalizing can be a step forward from what is increasingly unaffordable for many towns.

There have been proposals for regionalization of Newtown services over the years that have not been received enthusiastically. A perception of compromised public safety defeated a suggestion of regionalizing emergency dispatch services five years ago, despite projected savings to the town at that time of more than $600,000 a year. It was hoped that joining with Bethel and Brookfield, or expanding to join the Northwest Connecticut Public Safety Communications Center would be a foray into regionalizing services on a broader level. Revisiting this option is not out of the question, and taking action to partner with similar towns with similar needs - in many areas - could prevent a future in which the state demands and determines which town will partner with another.

Regionalization does not mean a loss of autonomy. There is great freedom in choice.

When opportunities for regionalizing services roll around again, viewing it in terms of gains rather than losses may put Newtown ahead of the game.