I’ll be reporting on budget issues to the Belmont town meeting on May 9.
Budget
budget and local aid updates, community preservation act, financial outlook, local aid policy, priorities/requests, resources, revenue, taxes
Additional Observations about the HWM Budget
Many state agencies have taken very deep cuts, but local aid, health and human services programs have largely been protected.
House Budget Spreadsheet
Two versions of a spreadsheet comparing the FY12 House Ways and Means budget to prior years are available: the long form includes summaries of the the data and some analysis breaking out local aid, health care and debt service; the short form includes the history by line item (no summarization) and is formatted for easier …
Bar Advocates in the HWM Budget
The House Ways and Means Budget does not adopt the Governor’s proposal to fold the Committee for Public Counsel Services into the Executive Branch and eliminate bar advocates (contract attorneys), replacing them with 1000 new hires. It does attempt some cost-savings in indigent representation.
Chapter 90 Local Road Aid Finalized
The legislature today approved final Chapter 90 numbers, increasing aid by roughly 29% for most communities.
Increased Chapter 90 Highway Aid
Chapter 90 funding for the coming fiscal year is likely to be increased by 29%, which will provide a modest additional amount for each of my communities.