CGR is a nonprofit that relies on donations to help make us stronger, more nimble, and ever-growing in our capacity to serve our community. Learn more about how to support CGR’s high-quality research, analysis, data insights and collaboration.
The Town of Hinesburg, VT, recently selected CGR to conduct the town's first overview of its public safety services since 2008. Hinesburg has a population of 4,700 and is located 15 miles south of Burlington, the state's most populous city. Hinesburg is poised to add hundreds of housing units over the next 10 years, which will increase demands on traditional public safety services. The town is seeking to craft a vision for police, fire and EMS services as the population grows by more than 15 percent in the coming years. Faced with growth, shifting demographics, an aging population, concerns about taxes, and declining volunteerism, the community hired CGR to help identify the services it needs and desires and figure out how to provide them over the next ten years. Hinesburg is also seeking to ensure that public safety services are delivered in an equitable and inclusive manner. Read More.
Among the most serious of personnel shortages that communities are grappling with is the shortage of emergency medical service (EMS) providers. CGR recently completed work in Tioga County in New York’s Southern Tier to identify steps that the County and local governments can take to address this critical issue.
Our local government team, led by Paul Bishop, MPA, NRP, conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the system, finding that 42% of certified EMS providers in the County (population of 48,759) have let their certification lapse or moved away in the last five years. The county is served by nine ambulance agencies as well as several first responding fire departments, responding to about 20 calls a day and transporting patients to several neighboring counties. In recent years, several ambulances have gone out of business or consolidated and others have added paid staff to make up for the lack of volunteers. Read More.
CGR refreshed our strategic framework in 2020-21 to explore ways to sharpen our focus and increase our impact. With the help of our consultant, Suzanne Piotrowski of Badfish Consulting, we talked with clients and community members to gain outside perspective and then worked with our board to deeply understand and define our values, purpose, and value proposition to clients and communities.
Implementing a Landmark Municipal Consolidation | Princeton, NJ
CGR designed and facilitated implementation of the merger of Princeton township and borough, the largest consolidation in New Jersey in nearly a century. Through its second year, the new approach has saved taxpayers more than $2 million and yielded lower tax rates.
Highlighting Links Between Transportation and Poverty | Rochester, NY
Local transportation nonprofit in upstate New York wants rigorous analysis examining intersections between transit and poverty to help inform and drive advocacy for improved and more equitable transit options in their city and county.
