WESTFIELD – On July 17, Governor Charlie Baker signed the Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) budget into law. It was a $39.4 billion plan and the budget centers around creating safer communities, better educational opportunities, and promoting economic development, among other items.
In that budget, Sen. Don Humason, who represents 11 different communities in the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District, requested line items for communities in his district, some of which involved Westfield, Southwick, and Tolland.
But, according to Sen. Humason, only one of the six line items he sponsored for those communities was approved by Governor Baker. The other five were vetoed.
Approved was $50,000 to be used towards planning and preparation purposes for the 350th Anniversary of Westfield celebration. The line items that were vetoed are as follows:
- $25,000 for safety upgrades and restoration work at the Westfield Athenaeum
- $50,000 for safety upgrades in Southwick’s public schools
- $100,000 for repairs to Tolland’s Department of Public Works building
- $50,000 to support the Westfield International Air Show at Westfield-Barnes Airport
- $25,000 for restoration of the Westfield Museum
Humason is not surprised that some of these items were vetoed since Governor Baker has to look at the bigger picture for the state, but the Senator will be looking at the possibility of overriding those items when the next budget process takes place in January 2018. Before any overrides of the Governor’s budget can take place, they have to pass through.
Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
According to Humason, it was the second time that he had filed for a few of these items. One of those examples is the $50,000 for the support of the Westfield International Air Show that is scheduled for August 12-13.
With the amount of traffic flow that pours into Westfield for that weekend in August, Humason saw an opportunity to turn that $50,000 of funds into a successful amount of revenue for the city. It is not official, but Humason is thinking about overriding this particular item.
“I know how many people that the 2017 International Air Show is going to bring to our city,” said Humason. “I thought that was a smart use of tax payer’s dollars, to spend some money to make some money.”
In Southwick, Karl Stinehart, the town’s Chief Administrative Officer, wished that the $50,000 for the safety upgrades to Southwick Public Schools could have been approved by Baker, but is hopeful for there to be improvement in the future.
“It’s unfortunate that was unable to materialize,” said Stinehart. “We know that our legislative delegation will try to bring it up again.”
Stinehart noted that the school district will be continuing to work with Southwick Police on any additional ideas for safety upgrades.
To see the full list of vetoes from Governor Baker, go to the Mass.gov website and search for Administration and Finance.
