By Joan F. Simoneau, Community Reporter
Marlborough – For the past several months, officials from the city of Marlborough and the town of Sudbury have been working closely to evaluate the potential benefits of combining resources to better serve veterans in their communities. Leading the effort is Mayor Arthur Vigeant, who, via a communication to the City Council during its Feb. 24 meeting, presented a proposal to move forward and regionalize.
“Over the past few years, more and more communities have gone with a regional approach that pools resources and ensures uninterrupted service to the veteran community during times of absence or transition,” Vigeant said in his communication. He presented to the council an inter-municipal agreement (IMA) that would create the “Marlborough-Sudbury Regional Veterans District.”
Formation of veterans’ services districts comes under the general direction and authority of the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), according to Vigeant.
Under the terms of the draft IMA, Marlborough Veterans Agent Gary Brown would serve as the director of veterans’ services. Marlborough would receive $833.50 per month toward the salary and benefits of this position, totaling $10,002 per fiscal year, from Sudbury.
In addition, Sudbury would provide 15 hours of administrative support per week in service of both communities to ensure full compliance with related veteran benefits coordination and compensation.
“This agreement has been given initial approval by the DVA for a trial period of one year. At the conclusion of [fiscal year 2014], this IMA can then be assessed and reevaluated before any renewal takes place,” he said.
According to the agreement, Brown will develop a schedule of available hours in each community in consultation with the Sudbury town manager and the Marlborough mayor.
On a motion made by Ward 2 City Councilor Richard Jenkins, the request was referred to the Veterans Affairs Committee.