FY 2010 Local Aid details by community
The House Ways and Means Committee released its budget today (4/15/2009). The Committee made deep cuts in many state services, but only relatively modest additional cuts in local aid. It continued to level fund Chapter 70 and left education allocations from the stimulus funding undisturbed, but made additional cuts in unrestricted general government assistance. The Governor has apparently made commitments to add stimulus funding to provide minimum education aid for communities that have done poorly in the stimulus allocation.
The special education circuit breaker is cut to the 60% level, but this should be offset by IDEA funding from the stimulus. Notable among smaller local aid cuts is complete elimination of Quinn bill funding.
The House Ways and Means Budget is often viewed as setting a political floor on local aid for the coming year. The HWM numbers are not completely safe this year, because they are based on December revenue projections. Some feel that those projections are high. But I believe that there will be a strong political will to preserve these numbers as floor.
| Local Aid (Major Programs in Section 3 of the budget) — 2009 and 2010 Budget Drafts | |||
| Arlington | Belmont | Cambridge | |
| 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% |
| 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% |
| 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% |
| 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% |
| (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 | |||
| general fund in event of short fall |