The House just voted it’s local aid resolution. Based on the sales tax vote taken yesterday, the House was able to allocate an additional $205 million to local aid. See figures here for Arlington, Belmont and Cambridge. These committed funds result in total local aid allocations equal to the aid that would have gone to cities and town based on the Governor’s proposed meals and hotel taxes.
Combined with the stimulus aid this results in an 11.9% increase in total local aid for Belmont from FY2009 budgeted levels. Arlington (-4.2%) and Cambridge (-9.1%) remain below level funding from FY2009, although they receive substantial increases above the original FY2010 House Budget.
It is important to note that the Senate may face no choice but to reduce these amounts, because the House budget is based on revenue estimates from December. The more recent estimates that the Senate will be able to use will be substantially lower.
Local Aid (Major Programs in Section 3 of the Budget) -- 2009 and 2010 Budget Drafts
| Arlington | Belmont | Cambridge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| House Budgeted FY2010 (based on sales tax increase) | |||
| Chapter 70 Aid | 6,229,294 | 4,603,815 | 9,316,701 |
| Unrestricted General Government Aid (1) | 7,875,026 | 2,327,198 | 23,131,899 |
| Potential Allocation of Federal Funds from ARRA | 914,048 | 1,364,975 | 309,750 |
| Total Local Aid including Stimulus Allocation | 15,018,368 | 8,295,988 | 32,758,350 |
| Change from 2009 Budgeted Total with Stimulus | (653,099) | 882,007 | (3,295,651) |
| % Change from 2009 Budgeted Total | -4.2% | 11.9% | -9.1% |
| House Ways and Means FY 2010 Budgeted (no new taxes) | |||
| Chapter 70 Aid (level funded) | 6,229,294 | 4,603,815 | 9,316,701 |
| Unrestricted General Government Aid (1) | 6,391,552 | 1,902,244 | 18,098,890 |
| Total 2010 Major Programs, HWM | 12,620,846 | 6,506,059 | 27,415,591 |
| Change from 2009 Budgeted Total | (3,050,621) | (907,922) | (8,638,410) |
| Potential Allocation of Federal Funds from ARRA | 914,048 | 1,364,975 | - |
| Total Local Aid including Stimulus Allocation | 13,534,894 | 7,871,034 | 27,415,591 |
| Change from 2009 Budgeted Total with Stimulus | (2,136,573) | 457,053 | (8,638,410) |
| % Change from 2009 Budgeted Total | -14% | 6% | -24% |
| Governors Proposed additional 2010 Aid (3) | |||
| Meals tax increase (1%) (4) | 898,538 | 267,422 | 2,544,381 |
| Rooms tax increase (1%) (4) | 174,300 | 51,875 | 493,563 |
| Aid to mitigate reductions in excess of 10% | 55,630 | - | 989,799 |
| Total new local aid proposals (not budgeted) | 1,128,468 | 319,297 | 4,027,743 |
| Total 2010 Aid if proposals adopted | 14,104,320 | 6,931,013 | 32,448,600 |
| $ Reduction from 2009 Budgeted | (1,567,147) | (482,968) | (3,605,401) |
| % Reduction from 2009 budgeted | -10.0% | -6.5% | -10.0% |
| Governors 2010 Budgeted | |||
| Chapter 70 Aid (level funded) | 6,229,294 | 4,603,815 | 9,316,701 |
| Unrestricted General Government Aid (1) | 6,746,558 | 2,007,901 | 19,104,156 |
| Total 2010 Budgeted Major Programs | 12,975,852 | 6,611,716 | 28,420,857 |
| $ Reduction from 2009 Budgeted | (2,695,615) | (802,265) | (7,633,144) |
| % Reduction from 2009 budgeted | -17.2% | -10.8% | -21.2% |
| 2009 Budgeted | |||
| Chapter 70 Aid | 6,229,294 | 4,603,815 | 9,316,701 |
| Unrestricted General Government Aid (1) | 9,442,173 | 2,810,166 | 26,737,300 |
| Total 2009 Budgeted Major Programs | 15,671,467 | 7,413,981 | 36,054,001 |
| 9C Cuts to Unrestricted Municipal Aid | (920,103) | (273,840) | (2,605,446) |
| Reduced 2009 Total after 9C Cuts | 14,751,364 | 7,140,141 | 33,448,555 |
| % Reduction from 2009 Budgeted Total | -5.9% | -3.7% | -7.2% |
| (1) Includes Addditional Assistance, Lottery and Supplement to Lottery | |||
| (2) Governor made an across the board 9.74% cut in unrestricted general government aid | |||
| (3) Subject to separate votes on tax increases | |||
| (4) Apportioned by specific amounts in Section 3 of the budget bill and guaranteed from the | |||
| Note: Federal allocation discretionary to Governor. |
Will, My understanding is that Belmont didn’t simply get “lucky” here but that a formula was used that brought towns up to minimum aid in Chapter 70. Belmont, being a town receiving less than minimum Ch. 70 aid, got a seemingly larger allocation from the ARRA money. Can you give a description of what happened and the rationalization behind it?
Thanks… Love the new format!
Thanks, Julie.
The best explanation of the ARRA distribution that I have seen comes from the Mass Budget and Policy Center.
RE: Arlington and other less well off towns take it on the chin…