SECTION 1. Chapter 7 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding after Section 62 the following section:-

Section 63. Municipal regionalization and efficiencies incentive reserve

The executive office for administration and finance shall operate on an annual basis a municipal regionalization and efficiencies incentive reserve to support municipal improvements, provided that funding within the reserve shall be transferred to the executive office of public safety and security for a competitive grant program for public safety and emergency staffing to be administered by that executive office; provided further, that the grants shall be awarded to communities that have populations of at least 60,000 and demonstrate that their police departments had an operating budget per capita of less than $200 in fiscal year 2016; provided further, that funding shall be expended from the reserve for a multi-year competitive grant program to provide financial support for one-time or transition costs related to regionalization and other efficiency initiatives, with allowable applicants to include municipalities, regional school districts, school districts considering forming a regional school district or regionalizing services, regional planning agencies, counties and councils of governments; and provided further, that funding from said reserve shall be expended for an incentive program for communities and municipalities engaging in the use of best practices determined by the Community Compact Cabinet created by Executive Order 554 issued January 23, 2015.