Assessor Does It Again!

A friend from another part of the state asked me if I knew how inappropriate this system was for my town and then proceeded to explain more than I cared to know.

It's pretty interesting to ask for information after buying a system.

Only in Middleboro!

Good Afternoon,

Has anyone used ESRI for GIS? We recently went with them for software and support and we were under the impression they have multiple towns as clients, some of which have Vision for their CAMA system. Well let me tell you I would never recommend them for assessing needs. They do not have a CLUE what our needs are nor do they spend a lot of time finding out. I’ve sent someone for training twice, the first time taking the class they recommended for her to take (she previously had training & worked in GeoMedia) and when they did not cover anything having to do with mapping for Assessors offered to do a one on one with her at their office. It started off by taking an hour to connect so they could use our database and then had to keep calling different people in to find out answers or how to do something and both of these training sessions were AFTER they were sent a detailed list of our needs.

I’m just curious if anyone else has used them and if so what your experience has been. Thank you for all your help past, present and future.


Barbara Erickson, M.A.A.
Assessor/Appraiser for the
Middleborough Board of Assessors
Ph 508-946-2410
Fax 508-946-4430
bercksn@middleborough.com

STATE SPRAYING TO TARGET DISEASE-CARRYING MOSQUITOES

STATE SPRAYING TO TARGET DISEASE-CARRYING MOSQUITOES

The state will begin aerial spraying Wednesday evening, the Department of Public Health announced Tuesday, a response to a higher-than-usual presence of disease-carrying mosquitoes, which DPH has described as a "serious public health concern." "This is an important step in our fight against mosquito-borne illness, but it's not the only one," Gov. Deval Patrick said in a statement. "I urge residents across the state to take simple, common-sense steps to protect themselves from mosquitoes. These include using bug spray and covering up when outdoors, especially during peak mosquito hours of dusk to dawn." According to the Patrick administration, spraying will affect: Acushnet, Berkley, Bridgewater, Carver, Duxbury, Dartmouth, East Bridgewater, Easton, Fairhaven, Freetown, Halifax, Hanson, Kingston, Lakeville, Marion, Mattapoisett, Middleboro, New Bedford, Norton, Pembroke, Plympton, Plymouth, Raynham, Rochester, Taunton, Wareham and West Bridgewater. According to DPH, the pesticide being used has "been proven safe for humans at these levels" and is already used in ground spraying. The administration said the spraying would be delayed if weather conditions worsened.



In response to my comment:
NOTE THEY DON'T NAME THE PESTICIDE!

A friend sent a note:

I understand that the pesticide is "anvil".

http://www.health.state.ny.us/publications/2738/

New York State is very forthcoming with information.

In the Midst of a Coal Field War

Coal Ash, Mountaintop Removal and Massey's poor safety record have been obscured by the Dirty Energy Disaster in the Gulf created by the arrogant energy giant BP.

The environmental degradation continues, as does the loss of life.

Maybe it's time for a sensible energy policy and time to adopt energy efficiency solutions.


Jeff Biggers: In the Midst of a Coal Field War (Video)


More GRITtv


Yet another coal miner was killed on the job this week, and journalist and author Jeff Biggers says that the situation has reached crisis level - that it's a war on miners. He also notes that abuse of the land and abuse of the people who work on it has always gone hand in hand, so as pressure for mountaintop removal and new coal mines mounts, so do safety violations - the latest being a story broken by NPR, that a methane gas monitor at the Little Big Branch mine, where 29 workers died in an explosion in April, had been deliberately shut down.

Biggers joins us to fill us in on the latest news from coal country--and from D.C., where Lisa Jackson and the E.P.A. faced a unique protest.

BP: Billionaire Polluter

Rarely Seen Pictures Of The Devastating Consequences Of The BP Disaster

What is Middleboro IT director planning?

What is Middleboro IT director planning?

According to the Information Technology (IT) Assessment recently done by the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management for Middleboro, the, “IT director stated that he spent 50 percent of his time on planning activities” and that, “In a town of Middleborough’s size, these planning activities should not require more than approximately 15 percent of an IT Director’s time.” In Middleboro, our IT director is spending 35 percent more time planning than most.

It also states that the town does not have a “written plan for business continuity/disaster recovery. This leaves Middleborough at extraordinary risk.”

At the presentation on June 16, the IT director corrected the statement that there is no disaster recovery plan. He said he has a list of names to call in an emergency and he can borrow equipment from a local offsite backup company.

A business continuity plan is used in cases such as the basement of town hall being flooded (that is where the town’s computer room is and it has flooded in the past). It would describe what and how to set up equipment for a short time in order keep the town functioning. A disaster recovery plan is for a major event, for example, a hurricane hit the area, like what happened to New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina. It would describe how to get critical computer services back in operation when the town’s normal infrastructure in damaged.

The IT Assessment also said that the town has no strategic plan for IT.

A strategic plan for IT is the road map for moving forward. It describes the goals for the IT department and how to reach them.

The town of Middleboro has an extremely inadequate business continuity/disaster recovery plan and no strategic plan for IT. What is our town’s IT director spending half of his time planning?

BOB DUNPHY

Middleboro

Bottle Bill

It's time for Beacon Hill to set aside the Special Interests and act for the good of the Commonwealth enacting an updated bottle bill to reduce solid waste.


From MassPirg --


Updating the Bottle Bill is a win for consumers and a win for the Commonwealth -- it decreases litter and makes it easier for cities and towns to recycle. But, with less than four weeks left in the legislative session, we need your help to convince our lawmakers to make the passage of the Updated Bottle Bill a priority.

Join us at next week's press event calling for swift passage of a bill that's been pending for more than a decade.

Since 1990, more than 15 billion containers have been redeemed under the Massachusetts bottle bill, contributing to a healthier environment, cleaner and safer communities, and a stronger economy. But as consumers' tastes change, the bottle bill must be updated to keep up with our times.

Updating the Bottle Bill would more than double the recycling rate for water bottles and most other plastic containers and would give consumers a greater incentive to recycle those containers.

Seems like a no-brainer, right?

But the bill has been held up for years. At the most recent hearing on the bill, there were well over 100 supporters in the room, including the League of Women Voters, the Sierra Club, the Mass Municipal Association and more. The opponents are a who's who of special interests: lobbyists for Pepsi, the bottled water companies, and liquor stores. It looked and sounded to all of us in the hearing room like the public interest versus the powerful special interests. We have to make the public interest voice louder.

And that's why I'm asking you to join us at the State House next Wednesday, July 7th, at 10:30AM. Click below to RSVP.

http://www.masspirg.org/action/healthy-communities/ubb-july7-event?id4=es

Consider dropping an email to your State Representative and State Senator.

BP: Access Denied

Coast Guard Restricts Reporters' Access to Oil Spill Sites





Oil Rain in Louisiana?



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