Common use of Best Practice Clause in Contracts

Best Practice. Utilize Financial Trend Monitoring, modeled after the ICMA’s Financial Trend Monitoring System (FTMS). Best Practice: Create an Economic Development Plan that engages diverse stakeholders, leverages local Best Practice: Align Land Use Regulations, especially zoning, capital investments, and other municipal actions with Housing Development, Economic Development, Master, Land Use Priority or other plans for future growth. Promote development and reuse of previously developed sites. Best Practice: Create and Distribute an Economic Development Guide/Manual to not only promote development goals and priorities, but also specifically and clearly outlines the community’s policies and procedures related to zoning and permitting. Best Practice: Create Opportunities for Engaging Diverse Stakeholders in economic development efforts, such as to assist with identification of priority development projects, improve local permitting processes, and proactively address obstacles to housing accessibility and affordability as well as job creation. Best Practice: Create Cross-Sector Partnerships to help carry out community-driven responses to community-defined issues and opportunities for economic development. Best Practice: Create a District Management Entity that engages public/private stakeholders to develop and support downtown revitalization efforts. Best Practice: Adopt as-of-Right Zoning and/or Streamlined Permitting to promote development in priority districts. Best Practice: Adopt Zoning for Mixed-Use Development, including Transit Oriented Development, where appropriate. Best Practice: Adopt Chapter 40R Smart Growth zoning to facilitate the creation of dense residential or mixed-use smart growth zoning districts, including a high percentage of affordable housing units, to be located near transit stations, in areas of concentrated development such as existing city and town centers, and in other highly suitable locations. Competitiveness Best Practice: Engage in an Economic Development Self-Assessment exercise to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas of opportunity. Best Practice: Establish and Utilize Performance Data to evaluate the competitiveness of the community, conduct year to year comparisons, and measure performance against comparable communities. Best Practice: Create a Public Dashboard to benchmark, monitor, and communicate to the public regarding various housing and economic development performance measures. Housing Best Practice: Create a Housing Production Plan (HPP) that accounts for changing demographics, including young families, changing workforce, and an aging population. Best Practice: Amend Zoning By-Laws to allow for increased density and housing opportunities in a manner that is consistent with neighborhood character and supportive of aging in community. Best Practice: Develop Sector Strategies and Plans in collaboration with various providers and stakeholders to address homelessness for specific high need population groups, such as homeless youth, veterans, older adults, and/or families. Best Practice: Complete an Assessment of Fair Housing Report, including strategic goals in alignment with HUD’s new rules to affirmatively further fair housing. Using HUD data, local data and knowledge, a significant community participation process, and the assessment tool provided by HUD, the community will prepare, complete, and submit its AFH to HUD. Urban Renewal Planning Best Practice: Determine need and appropriateness of establishing an Urban Renewal Entity in accordance with MGL chapter 121B. If prepared to proceed, develop action plan and timeline for the creation of the urban renewal entity. Best Practice: Prepare an Urban Renewal Plan Application in accordance with MGL chapter 121B in partnership with the urban renewal entity. Human Resources Best Practices Best Practice: Cost-Out Collective Bargaining proposals so that the impact of the total package is known. This provides the municipality with a clear understanding of both short-term and long-term budgetary impacts. Best Practice: Develop a Workplace Safety program so that the risk of on-the-job injuries is minimized.

Best Practice. Utilize Financial Trend MonitoringPerform an assessment of the municipality’s enterprise funds, modeled after including revenues, expenditures, indirect costs, and related policies and procedures to determine whether enterprise fund(s) are self-sufficient and make recommendations for best financial policies and practices. Best Practice: Perform a municipality-wide assessment of operations to identify foundational barriers to, and potential solutions for, long-term financial sustainability, staffing stability, and efficient functions and services. Best Practice: Perform an assessment of the ICMAmunicipality’s Financial Trend Monitoring System executive branch organizational structure, including a review of the responsibilities, authority, and span of control of executive branch officers; of the mandates, functions, and structures of elected boards, committees, and officers; and of the mandates, functions, and structures of major departments. Best Practice: Establish a committee to review an existing charter or to draft a new (FTMS)or first) charter for the municipality. Best Practice: Create an Economic Development Plan that engages diverse stakeholders, leverages local Affordable Housing Trust Fund and/or adopt the Community Preservation Act to fund production and preservation of affordable housing in your community. Best Practice: Align Land Use Regulations, especially zoning, capital investments, Take steps to demonstrate housing production and/or zoning best practices in an effort to obtain Housing Choice Community Designation. Designation provides access to an exclusive grant program and other municipal actions with Housing Development, Economic Development, Master, Land Use Priority or other plans priority status for future growth. Promote development and reuse of previously developed sitesstate grants. Best Practice: Create and Distribute an Economic Development Guide/Manual to not only promote development goals and priorities, but also specifically and clearly outlines the community’s policies and procedures related to zoning and permitting. Best Practice: Create Opportunities for Engaging Diverse Stakeholders in economic development efforts, such as to assist with identification of priority development projects, improve local permitting processes, and proactively address obstacles to housing accessibility and affordability as well as job creation. Best Practice: Create Cross-Sector Partnerships to help carry out community-driven responses to community-defined issues and opportunities for economic development. Best Practice: Create a District Management Entity that engages public/private stakeholders to develop and support downtown revitalization efforts. Best Practice: Adopt as-of-Right Zoning and/or Streamlined Permitting to promote development in priority districts. Best Practice: Adopt Zoning for Mixed-Use Development, including Transit Oriented Development, where appropriate. Best Practice: Adopt Chapter 40R Smart Growth zoning to facilitate the creation of dense residential or mixed-use smart growth zoning districts, including a high percentage of affordable housing units, to be located near transit stations, in areas of concentrated development such as existing city and town centers, and in other highly suitable locations. Competitiveness Best Practice: Engage in an Economic Development Self-Assessment exercise to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas of opportunity. Best Practice: Establish and Utilize Performance Data to evaluate the competitiveness of the community, conduct year to year comparisons, and measure performance against comparable communities. Best Practice: Create a Public Dashboard to benchmark, monitor, and communicate to the public regarding various housing and economic development performance measures. Housing Best Practice: Create implement a Housing Production Plan (HPP) that accounts for changing demographics, including young families, changing workforce, and an aging population. Conduct ongoing and robust outreach and education about housing needs in your community to dispel common myths about the effects of new housing. Create an inventory of municipally owned and publicly controlled land that can potentially developed for housing production. Best Practice: Adopt Chapter 40R Smart Growth as of right zoning for “missing middle housing” to facilitate the creation of dense residential or mixed-use smart growth zoning districts, including a set percentage of affordable housing units, to be located near transit stations, if applicable, or in areas of concentrated development such as existing city and town centers, and in other locations near activity centers. Best Practice: Amend Zoning Byzoning to reduce required off street parking spaces for residential development. Review MAPC “Perfect fit Parking” study of parking utilization compared to requirements demonstrating requirements for multi-Laws to allow for increased density and housing opportunities in a manner that is consistent with neighborhood character and supportive of aging in communityfamily parking are almost universally too high. Best Practice: Develop Sector Strategies Adopt or amend zoning to streamline the process for homeowners to build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) which are also known as “in law apartments”. Consider removing requirements for familial relationship. Distribute materials from AARP promoting advantages of ADUs. Best Practice: Perform a comprehensive review of Zoning Bylaws through an informed racial equity and Plans civil rights lens and recommend any changes for adoption by Town Meeting/City Council. Provide information to officials and the public about exclusionary practices in collaboration with various providers zoning. Consider reducing minimum lot sizes. Best Practice: Pursue land use and stakeholders to address homelessness for specific high need population groups, housing training opportunities such as homeless youththe Citizen Planner Training Collaborative (CPTC), veteransMassachusetts Housing Partnership’s Housing Institute, older adultsor trainings by state and regional entities. Become versed in available state, and/or familiesregional and federal funding opportunities, tax credits, and incentive programs. Best Practice: Complete and submit to HUD an “Assessment of Fair Housing Report, including strategic goals in alignment with HUD’s new rules to affirmatively further fair housing. Using ,” incorporating HUD datadata and assessment tools, local data and knowledge, a significant community participation process, and the assessment tool provided by HUD, the community will prepare, complete, and submit its AFH to HUDtool. Urban Renewal Planning Best Practice: Determine need and appropriateness of establishing an Urban Renewal Entity in accordance Access technical assistance from non- profit groups with MGL chapter 121B. If prepared to proceed, develop action plan and timeline for the creation of the urban renewal entityexpertise. Best Practice: Prepare an Urban Renewal Plan Application in accordance with MGL chapter 121B in partnership with the urban renewal entity. Human Resources Best Practices Develop a re-use plan or feasibility analysis for revitalization of existing municipal or publicly owned land or buildings Best Practice: Cost-Out Collective Bargaining proposals so that the impact of the total package is known. This provides the municipality with a clear understanding of both short-term and long-term budgetary impacts. Best Practice: Develop a Workplace Safety program so that the risk of on-the-job injuries is minimized.

Best Practice. Prepare a Capital Improvement Plan that reflects a community’s needs, is reviewed and updated annually, and fits within a financing plan that reflects the community’s ability to pay. Best Practice: Review and evaluate Financial Management Structure to ensure that the structure and reporting relationships of the community’s finance offices support accountability and a cohesive financial team process. Best Practice: Utilize Financial Trend Monitoring, modeled after the ICMA’s Financial Trend Monitoring System (FTMS). Housing and Economic Development Best Practices Preparing for Success Best Practice: Create an Economic Development Plan that engages diverse stakeholders, leverages local and regional economic strengths and assets, encourages innovation and entrepreneurship, and/or promotes workforce development planning and implementation. Best Practice: Align Land Use Regulations, especially zoning, capital investments, and other municipal actions with Housing Development, Economic Development, Master, Land Use Priority or other plans for future growth. Promote development and reuse of previously developed sites. Best Practice: Create and Distribute an Economic Development Guide/Manual to not only promote development goals and priorities, but also specifically and clearly outlines the community’s policies and procedures related to zoning and permitting. Best Practice: Create Opportunities for Engaging Diverse Stakeholders in economic development efforts, such as to assist with identification of priority development projects, improve local permitting processes, and proactively address obstacles to housing accessibility and affordability as well as job creation. Best Practice: Create Cross-Sector Partnerships to help carry out community-driven responses to community-defined issues and opportunities for economic development. Best Practice: Create a District Management Entity that engages public/private stakeholders to develop and support downtown revitalization efforts. Best Practice: Adopt as-of-Right Zoning and/or Streamlined Permitting to promote development in priority districts. Best Practice: Adopt Zoning for Mixed-Use Development, including Transit Oriented Development, where appropriate. Best Practice: Adopt Chapter 40R Smart Growth zoning to facilitate the creation of dense residential or mixed-use smart growth zoning districts, including a high percentage of affordable housing units, to be located near transit stations, in areas of concentrated development such as existing city and town centers, and in other highly suitable locations. Competitiveness Best Practice: Engage in an Economic Development Self-Assessment exercise to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas of opportunity. Best Practice: Establish and Utilize Performance Data to evaluate the competitiveness of the community, conduct year to year comparisons, and measure performance against comparable communities. Best Practice: Create a Public Dashboard to benchmark, monitor, and communicate to the public regarding various housing and economic development performance measures. Housing Best Practice: Create a Housing Production Plan (HPP) that accounts for changing demographics, including young families, changing workforce, and an aging population. Best Practice: Amend Zoning By-Laws to allow for increased density and housing opportunities in a manner that is consistent with neighborhood character and supportive of aging in community. Best Practice: Develop Sector Strategies and Plans in collaboration with various providers and stakeholders to address homelessness for specific high need population groups, such as homeless youth, veterans, older adults, and/or families. Best Practice: Complete an Assessment of Fair Housing Report, including strategic goals in alignment with HUD’s new rules to affirmatively further fair housing. Using HUD data, local data and knowledge, a significant community participation process, and the assessment tool provided by HUD, the community will prepare, complete, and submit its AFH to HUD. Urban Renewal Planning Best Practice: Determine need and appropriateness of establishing an Urban Renewal Entity in accordance with MGL chapter 121B. If prepared to proceed, develop action plan and timeline for the creation of the urban renewal entity. Best Practice: Prepare an Urban Renewal Plan Application in accordance with MGL chapter 121B in partnership with the urban renewal entity. Human Resources Best Practices Best Practice: Cost-Out Collective Bargaining proposals so that the impact of the total package is known. This provides the municipality with a clear understanding of both short-term and long-term budgetary impacts. Best Practice: Develop a Workplace Safety program so that the risk of on-the-job injuries is minimized.

Best Practice. Utilize Financial Trend MonitoringAdvanced Financing Tools such as an enterprise fund, modeled after the ICMA’s Financial Trend Monitoring System (FTMS). stormwater utility, full cost pricing, or water bank for water/waste/storm water systems Waste Management Best Practice: Create an Economic Development Plan Enhance Waste Ban Compliance so that engages diverse stakeholders, leverages local recyclable and hazardous materials are diverted from the waste stream and reused or recycled Best Practice: Align Land Use RegulationsDevelop Waste Contracts that are fiscally, especially zoning, capital investmentsenvironmentally, and other municipal actions with Housing Development, Economic Development, Master, Land Use Priority or other plans for future growth. Promote development and reuse of previously developed sites. Best Practice: Create and Distribute an Economic Development Guide/Manual otherwise beneficial to not only promote development goals and priorities, but also specifically and clearly outlines the community’s policies and procedures related to zoning and permitting. Best Practice: Create Opportunities for Engaging Diverse Stakeholders in economic development efforts, such as to assist with identification of priority development projects, improve local permitting processes, and proactively address obstacles to housing accessibility and affordability as well as job creation. Best Practice: Create Cross-Sector Partnerships to help carry out community-driven responses to community-defined issues and opportunities for economic development. Best Practice: Create a District Management Entity that engages public/private stakeholders to develop and support downtown revitalization efforts. community Best Practice: Adopt asPay-ofAs-Right Zoning and/or Streamlined Permitting You-Throw so that residents have an incentive to promote development reduce trash disposal and save money Best Practice: Increase the Recycling Rate through regulatory improvements, service expansion, and other mean in priority districtsorder to reduce waste and disposal costs Best Practice: Enhance Education via Recycle Smart MA, the Recycling IQ Kit, etc. so residents throw away less, recycle more, & follow smart waste practices Site Cleanup Best Practice: Complete a Brownfields Inventory so that the community is aware of all abandoned & underutilized properties & can develop plan of action Best Practice: Conduct Site Assessments to determine the nature and extent of contamination and develop a plan of action Best Practice: Clean Sites to prevent further releases or the spreading of contaminants and to bring sites back into productive use Best Practice: Facilitate Site Cleanup and Reuse to encourage assessment, cleanup, & reuse of privately held sites offer tax incentives or update regulation Agriculture Best Practice: Adopt Zoning for Mixeda Right to Farm By-Use Development, including Transit Oriented Development, where appropriate. Best Practice: Adopt Chapter 40R Smart Growth zoning law/Ordinance to facilitate the creation of dense residential or mixed-use smart growth zoning districts, including clearly indicate that agriculture is a high percentage of affordable housing units, local priority and to be located near transit stations, in areas of concentrated development such as existing city and town centers, and in other highly suitable locations. Competitiveness Best Practice: Engage in an Economic Development Self-Assessment exercise to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas of opportunity. minimize abutter conflicts Best Practice: Establish and Utilize Performance Data an Agricultural Commission to evaluate the competitiveness of the communityadvocate for local farms, conduct year administer a right to year comparisonsfarm bylaw, and measure performance against comparable communities. & otherwise represent agricultural interests Best Practice: Create a Public Dashboard Support Sustainable Forestry to benchmarkhelp the forest economy in rural areas, monitorimprove forest habitats, and communicate to assist in the public regarding various housing and economic development performance measures. Housing conservation of forest land Best Practice: Create a Housing Production Plan (HPP) that accounts for changing demographicsSupport Local Agriculture including Urban Agriculture, including young familiesAquaculture, changing workforceFloriculture, & Horticulture, via marketing, food sourcing, & Farmers Markets to help local businesses and an aging population. Best Practice: Amend Zoning By-Laws increase awareness of and access to allow for increased density and housing opportunities in a manner that is consistent with neighborhood character and supportive of aging in community. Best Practice: Develop Sector Strategies and Plans in collaboration with various providers and stakeholders to address homelessness for specific high need population groups, such as homeless youth, veterans, older adults, and/or families. Best Practice: Complete an Assessment of Fair Housing Report, including strategic goals in alignment with HUD’s new rules to affirmatively further fair housing. Using HUD data, local data and knowledge, a significant community participation process, and the assessment tool provided by HUD, the community will prepare, complete, and submit its AFH to HUD. Urban Renewal Planning Best Practice: Determine need and appropriateness of establishing an Urban Renewal Entity in accordance with MGL chapter 121B. If prepared to proceed, develop action plan and timeline for the creation of the urban renewal entity. Best Practice: Prepare an Urban Renewal Plan Application in accordance with MGL chapter 121B in partnership with the urban renewal entity. Human Resources fresh agricultural products Financial Management Best Practices Best Practice: Cost-Out Collective Bargaining proposals so Establish a Budget document that the impact details all revenues and expenditures, provides a narrative describing priorities and challenges, and offers clear and transparent communication of the total package is known. This provides the municipality with a clear understanding of both short-term financial policies to residents and long-term budgetary impactsbusinesses. Best Practice: Develop a Workplace Safety program so that Develop, document and implement Financial Policies and Practices including reserve levels, capital financing, and use of Free Cash. Such policies should identify the risk of on-the-job injuries is minimizedresponsible parties and procedural steps necessary to carrying out the directed strategy or action.

Best Practice. Utilize Financial Trend MonitoringPerform an assessment of the municipality’s enterprise funds, modeled after the ICMA’s Financial Trend Monitoring System (FTMS)including revenues, expenditures, indirect costs, and related policies and procedures to determine whether enterprise fund(s) are self-sufficient and make recommendations for best financial policies and practices. Housing and Livable Communities Best Practices Best Practice: Create an Economic Development Plan that engages diverse stakeholders, leverages local Affordable Housing Trust Fund and/or adopt the Community Preservation Act to fund production and preservation of affordable housing in your community. Best Practice: Align Land Use Regulations, especially zoning, capital investments, Take steps to demonstrate housing production and/or zoning best practices in an effort to obtain Housing Choice Community Designation. Designation provides access to an exclusive grant program and other municipal actions with Housing Development, Economic Development, Master, Land Use Priority or other plans priority status for future growth. Promote development and reuse of previously developed sitesstate grants. Best Practice: Create and Distribute an Economic Development Guide/Manual to not only promote development goals and priorities, but also specifically and clearly outlines the community’s policies and procedures related to zoning and permitting. Best Practice: Create Opportunities for Engaging Diverse Stakeholders in economic development efforts, such as to assist with identification of priority development projects, improve local permitting processes, and proactively address obstacles to housing accessibility and affordability as well as job creation. Best Practice: Create Cross-Sector Partnerships to help carry out community-driven responses to community-defined issues and opportunities for economic development. Best Practice: Create a District Management Entity that engages public/private stakeholders to develop and support downtown revitalization efforts. Best Practice: Adopt as-of-Right Zoning and/or Streamlined Permitting to promote development in priority districts. Best Practice: Adopt Zoning for Mixed-Use Development, including Transit Oriented Development, where appropriate. Best Practice: Adopt Chapter 40R Smart Growth zoning to facilitate the creation of dense residential or mixed-use smart growth zoning districts, including a high percentage of affordable housing units, to be located near transit stations, in areas of concentrated development such as existing city and town centers, and in other highly suitable locations. Competitiveness Best Practice: Engage in an Economic Development Self-Assessment exercise to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas of opportunity. Best Practice: Establish and Utilize Performance Data to evaluate the competitiveness of the community, conduct year to year comparisons, and measure performance against comparable communities. Best Practice: Create a Public Dashboard to benchmark, monitor, and communicate to the public regarding various housing and economic development performance measures. Housing Best Practice: Create implement a Housing Production Plan (HPP) that accounts for changing demographics, including young families, changing workforce, and an aging population. Conduct ongoing and robust outreach and education about housing needs in your community to dispel common myths about the effects of new housing. Create an inventory of municipally owned and publicly controlled land that can potentially developed for housing production. Best Practice: Adopt Chapter 40R Smart Growth as of right zoning for “missing middle housing” to facilitate the creation of dense residential or mixed-use smart growth zoning districts, including a set percentage of affordable housing units, to be located near transit stations, if applicable, or in areas of concentrated development such as existing city and town centers, and in other locations near activity centers. Best Practice: Amend Zoning Byzoning to reduce required off street parking spaces for residential development. Review MAPC “Perfect fit Parking” study of parking utilization compared to requirements demonstrating requirements for multi-Laws to allow for increased density and housing opportunities in a manner that is consistent with neighborhood character and supportive of aging in communityfamily parking are almost universally too high. Best Practice: Develop Sector Strategies Adopt or amend zoning to streamline the process for homeowners to build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) which are also known as “in law apartments”. Consider removing requirements for familial relationship. Distribute materials from AARP promoting advantages of ADUs. Best Practice: Perform a comprehensive review of Zoning Bylaws through an informed racial equity and Plans civil rights lens and recommend any changes for adoption by Town Meeting/City Council. Provide information to officials and the public about exclusionary practices in collaboration with various providers zoning. Consider reducing minimum lot sizes. Best Practice: Pursue land use and stakeholders to address homelessness for specific high need population groups, housing training opportunities such as homeless youththe Citizen Planner Training Collaborative (CPTC), veteransMassachusetts Housing Partnership’s Housing Institute, older adultsor trainings by state and regional entities. Become versed in available state, and/or familiesregional and federal funding opportunities, tax credits, and incentive programs. Best Practice: Complete and submit to HUD an “Assessment of Fair Housing Report, including strategic goals in alignment with HUD’s new rules to affirmatively further fair housing. Using ,” incorporating HUD datadata and assessment tools, local data and knowledge, a significant community participation process, and the assessment tool provided by HUD, the community will prepare, complete, and submit its AFH to HUDtool. Urban Renewal Planning Best Practice: Determine need and appropriateness of establishing an Urban Renewal Entity in accordance Access technical assistance from non- profit groups with MGL chapter 121B. If prepared to proceed, develop action plan and timeline for the creation of the urban renewal entityexpertise. Best Practice: Prepare an Urban Renewal Plan Application in accordance with MGL chapter 121B in partnership with the urban renewal entity. Develop a re-use plan or feasibility analysis for revitalization of existing municipal or publicly owned land or buildings Human Resources Best Practices Best Practice: Cost-Out Collective Bargaining proposals so that the impact of the total package is known. This provides the municipality with a clear understanding of both short-term and long-term budgetary impacts. Best Practice: Develop a Workplace Safety program so that the risk of on-the-job injuries is minimized.