Senate Panel Hikes Local Aid in MA Budget

The Massachusetts budget proposed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee is winning praise from municipal officials. WAMC’s Lucas Willard reports…

Senate leaders say the spending plan for the fiscal year beginning on July 1 would boost local aid by $275 million over current year levels and provide full funding for unrestricted local aid. An earlier budget proposal by Governor Deval Patrick had made $65 million of unrestricted aid contingent on state revenues reaching certain benchmarks in the current year.

The proposed Senate budget also increases state aid to public school districts, but does not include $11 million approved by the House for the transportation of homeless school children.

Massachusetts Municipal Association executive director Geoffrey Beckwith calls the spending plan "a very strong, favorable budget" for cities and towns.

Lucas Willard, WAMC News. 

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.