I want to begin by sincerely thanking everyone who came out to show their support last Thursdaay at the Short Stop. Westfield is a great community to represent, and I’m so honored to work on behalf of this city and its residents down in Boston.
The biggest event from Boston this week was the roll out of the Governor’s budget proposal. While we’re all still combing through the $38 billion worth of details, there are already a few big items that the proposal includes that will have major impacts on all of us in the Commonwealth. First and foremost, there are no new taxes, no new fees, and no taking from the rainy day fund. This administration realizes that the taxpayers are burdened enough. From transportation funding to cutting down the homeless rate and increasing local aid, this budget represents the priorities of Governor Baker’s administration and will be the foundation upon which my colleagues and I in the legislature will create our budget proposal.
Levels of local aid have been slowly increasing in recent years (2.7 percent in the current fiscal year) but there is still more we can do to help increase aid to cities and towns, which is a major priority in the Governor’s budget proposal. Local aid is the lifeblood of our municipalities. It is the money that provides funding for schools, police, fire, and public works projects, among other services. Town and city governments have very limited ways of increasing revenues, resulting in a heavy dependence on local aid funding from the state. Local aid levels took a hard hit during the recession in 2008 which caused devastating impacts on cities and towns across the state.
Local aid can be broken down into three types of funding that go to municipalities: Chapter 70 education funding, unrestricted general government aid, and categorical local aid which provides funding for services such as Veterans Benefits and aid to regional and public libraries. General local aid has been cut 36 percent since 2008, more deeply than many other state programs, with Westfield specifically receiving 38 percent less in funding, representing a loss of over $3M for our community. This loss has to be alleviated somehow, and one of the only ways to make up for a decrease in local aid is by raising property taxes which places a higher burden on families and businesses. Increasing local aid is absolutely imperative for providing relief on the already overburdened taxpayers.
The Governor’s budget proposal lives up to his campaign promises of increasing local aid. If this part of the budget is kept intact, local aid levels will increase by 3 percent or $142 million. This will provide major relief to local governments, and in turn, the taxpayers, and will help cities and towns create their own budgets and fund local projects. My hope is that when it is time to discuss the budget in the House of Representatives next month, our proposal will include more funding for local aid. However, it is important to remember that we have other programs that are competing for that funding.
Governor Baker and Speaker Deleo have both stated that this budget will not include any new taxes. Being able to keep from raising taxes while also increase local aid levels, including allocating over $100 million for Chapter 70 education funds, would be a major accomplishment. After having to remedy a budget deficit of $768 million last month which has now been pegged at over $1 billion, our approach needs to be smart and responsible spending. The Governor’s budget proposal reflects that ideology without slashing programs or cutting agency budgets beyond repair. This budget mostly calls for level funding for agencies and programs throughout the Commonwealth, which means that agencies would get the same amount of money to operate next year as they did this year. This will likely lead to some cuts, but it is a much better alternative than cutting services or entire agencies.
A major part of cutting back on spending is the plan to rein in agency and program budgets that often seem to grow on their own. One example of this is MassHealth, which takes up almost one-third of the budget. The Baker Administration calls for eliminating coverage in only one area of services – chiropractic – but intends to control outlandish spending growth by making sure that people who are benefitting from MassHealth, particularly Medicaid, are truly eligible. The Governor’s budget accounts for a 5.6 percent growth in spending on Medicaid, as opposed to the 16 percent it would have grown if not maintained.
One area that will see increased funding is transportation. The budget proposal released Wednesday calls for a 20 percent increase in transportation funding, echoing the sentiments expressed by citizens across the Commonwealth for greater investment in maintenance and repair as well as expansion of the current infrastructure in this state. While regional transit authorities would see level funding, the MBTA would receive an increase in $64.5 million if this proposal is accepted.
Another notable item from the Governor’s budget is the focus on programs created for helping those who are facing homelessness. The Governor has leveled funding for assistance to homeless individuals and families at $180 million, but rather than increase funding, the proposal calls for transferring $20 million into prevention programs. It is this sort of strategic spending that we as elected officials need to do more of. I absolutely support this plan to put more money into prevention. It will cost far less to keep these individuals in their homes and get them back on their feet than paying for them to stay in hotels and motels across the state.
Keeping individuals and families at risk for homelessness from losing their homes will also provide a safer environment for the children involved. This past Thursday, I was able to hear from students in the Westfield Youth Commission about this very issue. Several students from Westfield were at the State House for Legislative Action Day on behalf of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless. The students were very passionate about the budget priorities that the Coalition was advocating for, particularly the line item for funding to address the needs of unaccompanied youth and young adults. It was absolutely moving to hear the students talk on behalf of their less fortunate peers.
This weekend is another Army Drill weekend for me, but this is a special one. My reserve unit will have a change of command ceremony this weekend. The Governor and other prominent officials will be in attendance, including Francisco Urena, who is the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs. One of my committee assignments is to Veterans and Federal Affairs, so this will be a great opportunity for me to be able to meet with Secretary Urena to begin advocating on behalf of western Mass. veterans.
As always, feel free to contact me with questions or concerns at [email protected]. I also host office hours at the Senior Center every Tuesday from 11am-12pm, or you can come by my office at 52 Court Street. Have a safe weekend!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
