CGR Briefs

Reimagining Civic Engagement in Hopkinton, MA

Is your local government keeping up with its residents? CGR recently completed a comprehensive engagement study for the Town of Hopkinton, MA. By combining community-wide surveys with targeted focus groups, we helped the Town identify why residents weren't participating in local government—and how to change that.

Is Dissolution Right for the Village of South Dayton?

Changing the way government operates has a large impact on the community. The Village of South Dayton, NY, partnered with CGR to rigorously assess the impact of dissolving the village government and transitioning future services to the Town of Dayton. By methodically gathering and analyzing cross-municipal data, CGR established a crystal-clear, objective baseline of current operations and governance challenges.

One Year In and Going Strong: Sun Community News Spotlights Ticonderoga’s EMS District

When CGR worked with Ticonderoga in 2024 to evaluate EMS needs and outline a path toward sustainable service, the goal was simple: ensure residents could count on an ambulance when they needed one. One year into the new ambulance district, the district is doing just that—providing consistent, high-quality care backed by the stable funding model the Town adopted from CGR’s recommendations.

Charting a Course for Improved Service in Port Jefferson

How do you take a thriving seaside village like Port Jefferson, NY and make it even more effective and desirable?

Last year, CGR partnered with the Village of Port Jefferson to conduct an operational analysis of four key departments. Our mission was to evaluate staffing, core functions, and administrative roles to ensure the Village's infrastructure was as robust as its community.

State of Rochester’s Children Event Coming Up

ROC the Future, Rochester’s education collective, is hosting its 13th annual event examining progress toward improved outcomes for children at 2 p.m. February 26, 2026.

Ithaca Fire Service Collaboration: Cost, Capacity, and Shared Solutions

For decades, the Town of Ithaca has contracted with the City of Ithaca’s Fire Department (IFD) to provide the majority of fire protection services within the Town. The two municipalities engaged CGR to evaluate current fire service costs, conduct a high-level review of operations, and explore options for equitably sharing costs.

Monroe County Launches Projects to Boost Upward Mobility

Monroe County is launching three state-funded projects to boost upward mobility in three low-income zip codes in the City of Rochester. CGR is assisting the County Department of Human Services with program administration, implementation and data collection for Project Prosper.

Balancing the Buckets: Community Vitality, Regulation, and the Future of the West of Hudson Watershed

How can community vitality be defined and measured? How is it impacted by regulation? These were some of the key questions CGR and our partners (UrbanSense and LaBella) considered for a study of the West of Hudson (WOH) Watershed, where towns in the Catskills have been in partnership with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) since 1997 to protect water quality as well as maintain vitality of these communities.

Can Volunteer Fire Service Keep Pace with a Growing Community? A Look at West Bloomfield

The Town of West Bloomfield engaged CGR to evaluate fire service delivery and plan for the future in an environment of declining volunteerism and rising costs.

Tompkins County EMS Evaluation: Addressing a Fragmented System

CGR Principal Paul Bishop presented the findings and recommendations of our recent Tompkins County EMS Evaluation to the Legislature’s Public Safety Committee. The project identified that EMS in Tompkins County is not a cohesive system of care but is driven by distinct service models and historical political decisions across various agencies.

Ithaca Fee Study: Streamlining 500+ Fees for Better Cost Recovery

The City of Ithaca engaged CGR to perform a comprehensive review of its municipal fee structure. The project focused on three key areas: streamlining the fee-setting process, developing a better understanding of revenue drivers, and exploring opportunities for increased cost recovery.

CGR Staff Supports Community with Thanksgiving Donations

For the sixth consecutive year, CGR staff supported the Greater Rochester Chamber Small Business Council Thanksgiving Appeal. Our team donated the money to fund six boxes of food as part of the drive to meet the needs of 4,000 families in the greater Rochester area.