New Bedford 2020 - VHB.com

A City Master Plan New Bedford 202012GovernanceOverviewIn 1787, a section of Old Dartmouth near the west bank of theAcushnet River, originally called Bedford Village, was officiallyincorporated as the town of New Bedford. In 1847, the town ofNew Bedford officially became a city with a Mayor and separatelegislative council and alderman form of government.Today, New Bedford operates with a Mayor as chief executive, aCity Council, School Committee, Board of Assessors, andvarious boards and commissions. Currently, 26 Citydepartments and six quasi governmental agencies support theday-to-day operations of the city.Throughout the master plan civic engagement process commentsrelating to improving our local governance focused on desires to:> Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of traditionalmunicipal services;> Create measurable performance standards for the delivery ofCity services;> Explore the possibility of increasing and staggering terms forMayor and City Council;> Incorporate greater opportunities for cost savings andcreating new non-tax based revenue;> Establish policies for locally preferred and green purchasing;> Provide greater opportunities for individual engagement andvoter participation; and> Create leadership opportunities for City personnel, andvolunteer board and commission members.Credit: Anne LouroThe term “governance” can describe manythings about a community, including how itsets policy, manages its affairs, developsconsensus, and resolves conflicts. Furthermore,governance consists of tangible and intangiblecomponents. The tangible components includeelected bodies, boards, commissions, anddepartments that conduct the work of localgovernment as well as the policies, publicservices, taxation, and regulations enforced bya community. Intangible components include acommunity’s political culture, values, andprinciples that shape local policy and decisionmaking. In all cases, the governance of acommunity can be rated by means of itseffectiveness and efficiency.Governance12-1