MMA alert

Massachusetts Municipal Association alert this afternoon -

SENATE W&M RELEASES FY14 BUDGET PLAN

MIXED BAG FOR CITIES AND TOWNS:

EDUCATION ACCOUNTS $39M ABOVE HOUSE BUDGET

UGGA $21 MILLION BELOW HOUSE BUDGET

• Chapter 70 would increase by $130.1 million, $15.2 million more than the budget passed by the House

• The Special Education Circuit Breaker would be funded at $252.8 million, $14.3 million more the House

• Charter School Reimbursements would be funded at $76.4 million, $5.9 million more than the House

• Regional School Transportation would be funded at $49.5 million, $3.5 million more than the House

• BUT UNRESTRICTED GENERAL GOVERNMENT AID (UGGA) WOULD BE LEVEL FUNDED AT $899 MILLION, $21 MILLION LESS THAN THE BUDGET PASSED BY THE HOUSE

 

 

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE CHAPTER 70 AND UGGA NUMBERS FOR YOUR COMMUNITY and access the entire Senate Ways and Means fiscal 2014 state budget proposal

 

At noon on Wednesday, May 15, the Senate Ways and Means Committee released its proposed fiscal 2014 state budget.  The proposal would invest more in key education accounts that cities and towns depend on to fund public education, but the plan also rejects the $21 million increase in Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) embraced by the House of Representatives in April.  Senators have until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 17 to file amendments, and Senate debate will begin on Wednesday, May 22.  This means that local officials should contact their Senators immediately to secure a commitment to restore the House-adopted $21 million increase in unrestricted municipal aid during the budget debate, and support the progress that the SW&M Committee has made on key education priorities.

Please Contact Your Senators Immediately and Call on them to Co-Sponsor and Support the Amendment Offered by Sen. Eileen Donoghue to Include the $21 Million UGGA Increase in the Senate’s Fiscal 2014 State Budget

When you speak with your Senators, please tell them that this is the first time in recent memory that the Senate is proposing to fund unrestricted municipal aid at a lower level than the House.  In addition, please make the following points:

• Please remind your Senators that cities and towns use unrestricted municipal aid to fund critical and essential public services, including police protection, emergency response for fires and health emergencies, public works systems including roads and parks and vital maintenance, and much more, including funding school budgets, libraries, youth and senior programs;

• Please remind your Senators that UGGA has not been increased since fiscal 2008, and municipal aid is $416 million lower today than it was in fiscal 2008, which means local aid has been cut more deeply than nearly any other part of the state budget;

• Please emphasize that losing the $21 million in UGGA funds would be very disruptive this late in the municipal budget cycle – communities have been reasonable to count on the House number because it is only a 2.3 percent increase in a budget account that has been cut by 32 percent in recent years, and the Senate Ways and Means budget plan would increase state spending by 4.4 percent, but level fund municipal aid; and

• Please ask your Senators to co-sponsor the amendment that will be offered by Sen. Eileen Donoghue of Lowell to add the $21 million to Unrestricted General Government Aid.  Senators must sign on as a co-sponsor prior to the 3:00 p.m. amendment deadline this Friday, May 17.

KEY ASPECTS OF THE SENATE WAYS AND MEANS BUDGET:

Unrestricted General Government Aid

Even though the SW&M fiscal 2014 budget plan would increase total state spending by 4.4 percent, the proposal would level fund Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) at $899 million, $21 million below the budget passed by the House of Representatives in April.  Communities use these funds to support essential municipal and school programs.  The House-passed $21 million increase would boost UGGA by just 2.3 percent, and local officials have been counting on this increase as they plan their own budgets for the coming year.  Senator Eileen Donoghue of Lowell will be offering a budget amendment to include the $21 million in the Senate’s fiscal 2014 budget. The MMA will be aggressively pushing to restore this increase during the Senate budget debate, and throughout the entire budget process as the House and Senate reconcile their versions of the budget prior to July 1.  It is vitally important for local officials to contact their Senators to urge them to co-sponsor and support this key municipal aid amendment.

Chapter 70 Education Aid

The SW&M budget proposal would increase Chapter 70 funding by $130.1 million, to fully fund the foundation budget formula, provide a minimum increase of $25 per student to every city and town, and add $16.9 million to phase in the 2006 target share reforms.  This is $15.2 million more than the budget passed by the House, and represents progress in securing a higher level of aid for many districts, although the Senate and House plans are still far below the $226 million increase proposed by the Governor earlier in the year (the Governor’s budget plan was based on passage of his $1.9 billion tax plan).

Special Education “Circuit Breaker”

The Senate Ways and Means Committee deserves praise for funding the Special Education Circuit Breaker account at $252.8 million, bringing that program up to or much closer to full funding.  This is $14.3 million more than the amount funded by the House, and $22.3 million more than the budget filed by the Governor in January.  This is a major achievement, and is very much appreciated by local officials.  The MMA will be strongly advocating for this funding level throughout the entire budget process.

Charter School Reimbursements

It is vitally important to fund the Charter School Reimbursement Account in order to protect regular public schools from financial harm due to the diversion of Chapter 70 aid to charter schools.  Underfunding the reimbursement account reduces funding for programs for the 97 percent of school children in traditional schools.  DESE estimates that it would require $102.7 million to fully fund the state’s obligation to cover a portion of the loss of Chapter 70 school aid deducted from local public schools and paid as tuition to charter schools, as required in the 2010 education reform law reimbursement formula.  Overall, DESE expects that cities and towns will be required to divert $406.8 million of their Chapter 70 aid to fund charter schools in fiscal 2014, $53.3 million more than in fiscal 2013, which demonstrates the importance of funding this key account to ease the blow to local districts that educate the vast majority of students.

The Governor’s budget filed in January included an appropriation of $80.3 million. This amount is $9.8 million higher than the current fiscal 2013 level (after the $1.0 million mid-year 9C cut). The House-passed budget would level fund the account at $70.5 million.  The Senate Ways and Means Committee is proposing a $5.9 million increase to $76.4 million.  The proposed increase represents some progress, but the account would still be significantly underfunded, and without full funding, programs for students in the traditional public school system will be harmed.  The MMA will seek to increase funding during the Senate budget debate.

Student Transportation Reimbursements

In December, the Governor cut regional student transportation reimbursements by $1 million, lowering the account to $44.5 million.  The House increased the fiscal 2014 funding level to $46 million in April, and the Senate Ways and Means Committee is proposing $49.5 million, a $3.5 million increase above the House.  This is an important account for many smaller communities in regional districts.  Full funding would require $78 million.

Shannon Anti-Gang Grant Program

The Shannon Anti-Gang Grant Program was funded at $4.5 million in the House’s fiscal 2014 budget plan, and the Senate budget committee proposes to add $1.75 million, which would restore the program to the current $6.25 million level.  This account is crucial to assist those communities dealing with very challenging public safety and gang-related issues.

Payments-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT), McKinney-Vento, and Library Aid

Several other important local aid accounts are level-funded in the Senate Ways and Means budget proposal, including payments to cities and towns that host state property ($26.27 million) and the McKinney-Vento program to transport homeless students to their original school districts ($6.05 million).  Library aid is also level-funded in the Senate budget plan ($16.055 million), which is $48K lower than the House-passed amount.

 

Please Contact Your Senators Immediately and Call on them to Co-Sponsor and Support the Sen. Donoghue Amendment to Add $21 Million to Unrestricted Municipal Aid (UGGA) in the Senate’s Fiscal 2014 State Budget

 

Please visit the MMA website at www.mma.org for the latest information as the budget process unfolds.

Thank you very much. 

---

Senate budget

Senate issues its budget – our #s ==>

FISCAL YEAR 2014 LOCAL AID
(Municipality)

Municipality	Chapter 70	Unrestricted General Government Aid

MEDFIELD

$5,797,959

$1,226,088

 

Medfield’s Chap 70 $ – Senate Numbers

Courtesy of John Nunnari, this afternoon -

 

Municipality/Regional District	7061-0008 Chapter 70	Unrestricted General Government Aid	Annual Formula Local Aide
FY ’13 Actual Appropriation	$5,730,534.00	$1,226,088.00	$0.00
Governors FY ’14 Proposal	$5,797,959.00	$1,226,088.00	$26,530.00
Medfield (House FY ’14 Proposed Numbers)	$5,797,959.00	$1,255,070.00	$0.00
Medfield (Senate FY 14 Proposed Numbers)	$5,797,595.00	$1,226,088.00	$0.00
FY ’14 Conference Committee Report           July +/-	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

 

 

On being a selectman

Today’s items -

• Medfield Cares About Prevention (MCAP) leadership and group meeting this morning, for almost two hours – good progress being made to get this nascent substance abuse prevention effort solidly based and moving, while still awaiting possible $625,000 grant funding.  See www.MedfieldCares.org
• email from Mike with report from the legislature on the new DPH regulations on medical marijuana
• email from Mike re the tuition at the Aggie School not covering OPED expenses, and to the Norfolk Count’s administrator supporting Brookline’s memo that Aggie tuition should go up.
• an opportunity for a dinner with the family this evening (if Kristen did not have swim practice), as the Medfield State Hospital Reuse Committee meeting this evening will not happen as it did not get posted the required 48 hours ahead

House “Cherry Sheets” out

House issues its “Cherry Sheets”- the totals -

FY13 = $7,051,687

Gov’s FY14 = $7,148,536

House’s FY14 = $7,157,142

========================

Massachusetts Department of Revenue

Division of Local Services

FY2014 Local Aid Estimates

 

MEDFIELD

 

	FY2013 Cherry Sheet Estimate	FY2014 Governor’s Budget (H1)	FY2014 House Final Budget Proposal
Education:
Chapter 70	5,730,534	5,797,959	5,797,959
School Transportation	0	0	0
Charter Tuition Reimbursement	59	67	7,206
Smart Growth School Reimbursement	0	0	0
Offset Receipts:
School Lunch	10116	9,260	9,260
School Choice Receiving Tuition	0	0	0
Sub-Total, All Education Items	5,740,709	5,807,286	5,814,425
General Government:
Unrestricted General Government Aid	1,226,088	1,226,088	1,255,070
Annual Formula Aid Calculation	0	26,530
Local Share of Racing Taxes	0	0	0
Regional Public Libraries	0	0	0
Urban Renewal Projects	0	0	0
Veterans’ Benefits	13,333	17,624	16,639
State Owned Land	31,357	31,380	31,380
Exemptions: Vets, Blind, Surviving Spouses & Elderly	26,472	26,028	26,028
Offset Receipts:
Public Libraries	13,728	13,600	13,600
Sub-Total, All General Government	1,310,978	1,341,250	1,342,717
Total Estimated Receipts	7,051,687	7,148,536	7,157,142

 

 

 

FY2014 Local Aid Assessments

MEDFIELD

 

	FY2013 Cherry Sheet Estimate	FY2014 Governor’s Budget (H1)	FY2014 House Final Budget Proposal
County Assessments:
County Tax	108,925	111,680	111,680
Suffolk County Retirement	0	0	0
Sub-Total, County Assessments	108,925	111,680	111,680
State Assessments and Charges:
Retired Employees Health Insurance	0	0	0
Retired Teachers Health Insurance	0	0	0
Mosquito Control Projects	52,872	55,872	55,872
Air Pollution Districts	4,280	4,445	4,445
Metropolitan Area Planning Council	3,788	3,883	3,883
Old Colony Planning Council	0	0	0
RMV Non-Renewal Surcharge	6,560	5,260	5,260
Sub-Total, State Assessments	67,500	69,460	69,460
Transportation Authorities:
MBTA	254010	256,764	256,764
Boston Metro. Transit District	0	0	0
Regional Transit		0	0
Sub-Total, Transportation Authorities	254,010	256,764	256,764
Annual Charges Against Receipts:
Special Education	0	4,508	4,508
STRAP Repayments	0	0	0
Sub-Total, Annual Charges	0	4,508	4,508
Tuition Assessments
School Choice Sending Tuition	10,625	5,000	5,000
Charter School Sending Tuition	0	0	12,041
Essex County Tech Sending Tuition	0	0	0
Sub-Total, Tuition Assessments	10,625	5,000	17,041
Total Estimated Charges	441,060	447,412	459,453

 

For information about how the estimates were determined and what may cause them to change, click: Local Aid Estimate Program Summary.

 

 

House added education $ to state budget, but none for Medfield

Per John Nunnari -

Medfield was not one of the communities that benefited from the additional Chapter 70 spending debate.

Numbers stayed the same at $5,797,959 for Chapter 70, and $1,255,070 for Unrestricted General Government Aid.

john

==============

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, APRIL 23, 2013…. House lawmakers tacked on close to $27 million in additional spending for education and local aid on the first night of debate on a $33.8 billion fiscal 2014 budget Monday, engaging in sporadic debate, including a fiery back-and-forth over in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants.

MMA alert on the state budget

This from the Massachusetts Municipal Association, on the state budget, last week -

Thursday, April 25, 2013

 

HOUSE PASSES FY 2014 STATE BUDGET AND $300M CHAPTER 90 BILL; BOTH MEASURES HEAD TO THE SENATE Late on Wednesday night, the House of Representatives completed three days of debate on its version of the fiscal 2014 state budget, passing a $34 billion budget plan by a 127-29 vote.  The House members also passed a one-year $300 million Chapter 90 bill by a unanimous 155-0 vote.  Both measures now head to the Senate, where the MMA is urging swift action on Chapter 90 to ensure that cities and towns can move quickly on important road projects without losing more of the construction season. House Approves $34B State Budget Bill Amendments Add $5M to Chapter 70, $3M to SPED Circuit Breaker, $500K to Regional Transportation, $2.5M to Shannon Anti-Gang Grants Amendment to Weaken the Public Safety Residency Requirement Rejected House members spent 3 days sifting through 888 amendments, including many proposals to increase funding for key municipal and education accounts.  With a bottom line that is $1 billion lower than the Governor’s budget proposal, there were many accounts that legislators were interested in expanding.  In the end, however, House members were moderate in adding back additional funding, although there were a number of areas where progress was made. The budget includes a $21 million increase in unrestricted general government aid, and this key priority was retained in the final version of the House budget with no changes. Now that the House has completed its work, it is the Senate’s turn to act.  The Senate Ways and Means Committee is expected to release its version of the fiscal 2014 state budget in mid-May, with Senate debate expected during the week of May 20.  After that, the House and Senate will form a conference committee to hammer out a final version to enact before July 1.  Please review the House action outlined below and contact your Senators to highlight important priorities that you need addressed during the budget debate, especially concerning unrestricted municipal aid, Chapter 70, and the key accounts outlined in this and previous MMA Action Alerts. Chapter 70 Education Aid Even though the budget proposed by the House Ways and Means Committee provided a $109 million increase to Chapter 70 to fully fund the foundation budget formula and provide a minimum increase of $25 per student to every city and town, the initial allocation of aid did not include implementation of the 2006 reforms to establish a “target share” equity standard, which is one of the major reasons why the aid distribution in the proposed House budget was significantly lower for many communities and school districts than the budget offered by Governor Patrick in January. With dozens of House members sponsoring amendments to increase the Chapter 70 distribution, mostly to fully or partially implement the target share reforms, Representatives voted to add $5 million more to Chapter 70 to fund a 15 percent phase-in of target share aid.  Because of the complexity of the formula, the distribution of these funds is limited to a small number of communities and school districts, especially those close to their foundation level with a higher-than-average growth in students. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE LATEST CHAPTER 70 NUMBERS IN THE HOUSE BUDGET   Special Education “Circuit Breaker” The House Ways and Means Committee deserves praise for adding $5 million to the Special Education Circuit Breaker account, partially restoring the $11.4 million cut that was imposed by the Governor last December using his 9C powers.  During the debate, House members voted to add another $3 million to the program, resulting in a final House budget that adds $8 million more to the circuit breaker account than in the Governor’s original budget. Student Transportation Reimbursements In December, the Governor cut regional student transportation reimbursements by $1 million, lowering the account to $44.5 million.  The House Ways and Means Committee proposed restoring the $1 million, and during the floor debate, Representatives added another $500,000 in funding, to bring the program up to $46 million.  Full funding would require $78 million. Shannon Anti-Gang Grant Program The Shannon Anti-Gang Grant Program was funded at only $2 million in the House Ways and Means budget, and during debate Representatives voted to add $2.5 million to the program, to bring it up to $4.5 million.  This account is crucial to assist those communities dealing with very challenging public safety and gang-related issues.  The program is funded at $6.25 million this year. Representatives Reject Amendment 30, Which Would Have Undermined the Public Safety Residency Law The MMA strongly opposed Amendment 30, which would have effectively eliminated the statutory 10-mile residency requirement in state law for police officers and firefighters by unilaterally increasing the limit to 35 miles.  Police officers and firefighters are required by law to live within 10 miles of the community in which they work.  Many cities and towns have included residency provisions in their collective bargaining contracts, and this amendment would interfere with those agreements, disrupting the management of their public safety departments.  A majority of communities have not included any residency provisions in their contracts, as the 10-mile range works well for them, and these localities would suddenly face serious management and logistical issues.  The MMA fought this amendment because it would have negatively impacted police and fire departments across the Commonwealth, and Representatives did not adopt the amendment.  It will be important to monitor this issue to block any attempt to add this item during the Senate budget debate in May. House Unanimously Passes $300M Chapter 90 Bill In the midst of the final night of its state budget debate, the House unanimously passed a $300 million Chapter 90 bond bill for fiscal 2014, which would boost funding for the local road and bridge program by 50 percent.  The increase – and expedient passage – have long been top priorities of the MMA and local officials statewide. House and Senate leaders and the governor are all in agreement on a $300 million funding level for Chapter 90 for fiscal 2014 and beyond.  Any remaining debate is over the details of proposals to raise additional revenue for transportation projects. Leaders in the House and Senate have stated, however, that transportation finance bills passed by each branch earlier this month would cover the $100 million increase in Chapter 90. The unanimous House vote last night appears to reflect that assurance. The Chapter 90 bond bill now heads to the Senate, and we urge local officials to contact their Senators to make sure the legislation receives immediate consideration .  The release of authorizations for the Chapter 90 reimbursement program has been delayed in each of the past two years, causing cities and towns to miss the bulk of the construction season. This year, the MMA and local officials have expressed concerns that Chapter 90 might again be held up by extended State House debates about new revenues and a multi-year transportation package, which is why the association has been pushing hard for a stand-alone Chapter 90 bill for fiscal 2014. Legislative leaders have been responsive to the MMA’s concerns. When House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray announced a House-Senate transportation finance framework on April 2, supported by the House and Senate Ways and Means and Transportation committees, the plan included a one-year, $300 million Chapter 90 bill as companion legislation. Rep. William Straus of Mattapoisett, House chair of the Transportation Committee, ushered the Chapter 90 bill through the House. The House adopted one amendment to the bill, which would require cities and towns to use their authorizations from any given year within five years or seek a waiver from the Department of Transportation due to special circumstances. The MMA will be working with the Senate to ensure the workability of the language of this provision. Swift consideration by the Senate is an urgent priority because the Chapter 90 legislation must go through several additional steps before becoming law and taking effect.  After Senate approval, the bill will need a final vote in the House and Senate, and the bond bill must be signed into law by the Governor.  Then the Legislature will need to pass a “terms” bill to set the terms of the state bond to support the $300 million.  After that measure becomes law, the Governor must then release the full $300 million for distribution. PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS TODAY AND ASK THEM TO PASS THE $300M CHAPTER 90 BILL IMMEDIATELY!!  CH. 90 LEGISLATION IS URGENTLY NEEDED TO PREVENT ANY FURTHER DELAY IN THE CONSTRUCTION SEASON

House $ for Medfield

Email from John Nunnari  last night -

Numbers from today’s House budget.

 

john

 

Municipality/Regional District	7061-0008 Chapter 70	Unrestricted General Government Aid	Annual Formula Local Aide
FY ’13 Actual Appropriation	$5,730,534.00	$1,226,088.00	$0.00
Governors FY ’14 Proposal	$5,797,959.00	$1,226,088.00	$26,530.00
Medfield (House FY ’14 Proposed Numbers)	$5,797,959.00	$1,255,070.00	$0.00
Medfield (Senate FY 14 Proposed Numbers)	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
FY ’14 Conference Committee Report           July +/-	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

 

 

John Nunnari, Assoc AIA
Executive Director, AIA MA

House budget $1B. less than Gov.’s

This from the Massachusetts Municipal Association -

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

HOUSE W&M COMMITTEE RELEASES FY 2014 BUDGET

Proposal Spends $1B Less than House One

Debate to Start on April 22

 • Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) Increased by $21.3M

• Chapter 70 Education Aid Increased by $110M Using Existing Formula

• All Cities, Towns & Districts Guaranteed $25 Per Student Minimum Aid

• Special Ed Circuit Breaker Increased by $5M above House One

• Regional School Transportation Increased by $1M above House One

Highlights of the House W&M Proposed FY 2014 Budget:

• Offers a $21.3 million increase in Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA), guaranteeing that cities and towns will receive all of their Lottery revenues.  The budget does not include the Governor’s new “formula aid” account.

• Adds $110 Million to Chapter 70 to guarantee $25 per student minimum aid for all cities, towns and school districts, and fully funds the existing schedule to implement the Chapter 70 formula.  The budget does not include the Governor’s proposed formula changes and accelerated implementation schedule.

• Increases the Special Education Circuit-Breaker account to $235 million, $5 million above the Governor’s budget, which had level funded the program at $230 million (the circuit breaker was originally $242M for fiscal 2013, but was cut by $11.5 million in December using 9C powers).

• Increases the Regional School Transportation account to $45.5 million, $1 million above the Governor’s budget, which had level funded the program at $44.5 million (the account was originally $45.5 million for fiscal 2013, but was cut by $1 million in December using 9C powers).

• Level-funds the McKinney-Vento Reimbursement at $6.1M, the same amount as House One.

• Level-funds Library aid at $16M, the same amount as House One.

On Wednesday afternoon, April 10, the House Ways and Means Committee released its version of the fiscal 2014 state budget, a $33.8 billion proposal that is $1 billion lower than the budget filed by the Governor in January.  The Governor’s budget had relied on a sweeping $1.9 billion tax increase, and the Legislature is preparing to enact a smaller budget plan because their tax package is smaller, and is targeted to transportation.   

Click here for a link to the House Ways and Means proposed Chapter 70 and unrestricted municipal aid amounts for your community:

Click here for a link to the House Ways and Means Committee’s budget site, which contains all of the narrative and information on their proposal:

Municipal Aid

The House Ways and Means Committee’s proposed budget would increase fiscal 2014 Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) by $21.3 million, increasing the account up to $920.2 million.  The expected growth in Lottery proceeds is predicted to be $10 million, thus the proposed budget would guarantee that cities and towns will receive 100% of their Lottery funds, and an increase above that amount.  Further, because the municipal aid increase is proposed in the existing UGGA program, these funds will be much more predictable in future years, ensuring a stable source of direct, unrestricted municipal aid.  House One had level-funded UGGA at $899 million.

The HW&M proposed budget does not include the new “Annual Formula Local Aid” program proposed in House One.  That new $31 million program would have used a new distribution formula instead of restoring UGGA funds, and was linked to another proposal to establish a special fund to be distributed to communities who qualified based on state-set incentives to be determined by A&F in the future.

Chapter 70

The House Ways and Means budget proposes to increase fiscal 2014 Chapter 70 distributions by $110 million, fully funding the existing Chapter 70 formula and implementation schedule, while also guaranteeing an increase of at least $25 per student for all cities, towns and school districts.  The Governor had proposed to expand the Ch. 70 formula to give greater weight to out-of-district Special Education placements and eliminate the cap on pre-K students included in enrollment for formula purposes, and to accelerate the implementation schedule for the 2007 “target share” changes passed by the Legislature.

151 cities, towns and school districts will receive the same amount of aid under both plans, but, for many cities and towns, Chapter 70 is perhaps the largest difference between the House Ways and Means budget and the Governor’s proposal.  House One would have used revenues from the Governor’s income tax increase to boost Chapter 70 by $226 million through the enhancements noted above, while the House plan would fully implement the existing Chapter 70 formula through the current schedule.  MMA recommends that you contact DESE directly to determine how the changes would affect your minimum required local contribution.

Other Key Accounts

Special Education Circuit-Breaker – The House Ways and Means Committee budget would increase the Special Education Circuit-Breaker account to $235 million, $5 million above the Governor’s budget, which had level funded the program at $230 million (the circuit breaker was originally $242M for fiscal 2013, but was cut by $11.5 million in December using 9C powers).  This is approximately $5 million below full funding.

Regional School Transportation – The House Ways and Means Committee budget would increase the Regional School Transportation account to $45.5 million, $1 million above the Governor’s budget, which had level funded the program at $44.5 million (the account was originally $45.5 million for fiscal 2013, but was cut by $1 million in December using 9C powers).  This is still below full funding.

Charter School Reimbursements – This account would be level-funded, which is approximately $10 million below the amount needed to fully fund the reimbursement formula.

PILOT – The House Ways and Means budget would level-fund the Payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program at $26.3 million, the same as House One.

HOUSE BUDGET DEBATE WILL START ON MONDAY, APRIL 22

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TODAY

DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF FUNDING FOR LOCAL AID AND EDUCATION ACCOUNTS – PLEASE SUPPORT THE INCREASE IN UNRESTRICTED MUNICIPAL AID (UGGA), THE SPECIAL EDUCATION CIRCUIT BREAKER, AND REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION, AND ADVOCATE FOR ALL ACCOUNTS THAT ARE KEY TO YOUR COMMUNITY

THE MMA WILL CONTINUE TO ANALYZE THE BUDGET AND AMENDMENTS, AND WILL BE PUSHING HARD FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.  PLEASE CHECK THE MMA WEBSITE (WWW.MMA.ORG) FOR FURTHER UPDATES.

Patch article on garage

I just posted the following at Patch on their article about the new DPW garage -

Kudos to the Building Committee for both (1) their diligence in pursuing the town’s best interests in a transparent process, and (2) the complete explanations they have provided to us. I wish garages were not so expensive, but after attending most of the Building Committee’s meetings, they have convinced me both that garages are, and that this iteration is our current best option. I am told that the final bids will be opened on 4/19/13, so the voters will know the actual cost when we are asked to vote at the 2/29/13 annual town meeting (ATM) and at the election the next day on 4/30/13.