Category Archives: Budgets

Town Meeting Monday – 7PM

Posted on April 26, 2019 | Comments Off on Town Meeting Monday – 7PM

From the Moderator, Scott McDermott – NB starts at 7PM, not 7:30

2019 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING INVITATION Friends and neighbors: When spring comes to Medfield, it becomes my pleasure to invite you to attend our Annual Town Meeting next Monday evening, April 29, 2019 at 7:00pm at the Amos Clark Kingsbury High School gymnasium. Please note that 7:00pm is our new starting time. I encourage all voters to come to Town Meeting. Together we are the legislative branch. Our collective determinations next Monday continue to set the course of Medfield’s future. Our votes become local laws and regulations; the budgets approved will determine the town’s operating and capital expenditures. I’m pleased to report, compared to the last three years, the coming Town Meeting will consider a significantly smaller agenda of warrant articles. It should be a very straight- forward evening conducting the town’s business. . Thank you for your consideration of this invitation. I hope to see many of you. May we all have a great spring and summer here in our special spot on the east bank of the Charles River. All the best, Scott Scott F. McDermott Town Moderator TOWN OF MEDFIELD Scott F. McDermott Town Moderator I encourage you to review the Report on the Warrant recently mailed to every resident of Medfield. The Report contains the text of all of the articles coming before the Town Meeting. Importantly, the Report (pages 5 to 17) also contains a highly informative snapshot of Medfield’s finances. We have a special place to call our home. We value education, community, open space, safe streets and homes, the well-being of the young and the well-being of the old, quality municipal services, and the advancement of local commerce. It takes hard work and open communication to do the work of self-government. Our Annual Town Meeting, even with all of its imperfections, is the night we gather to speak with one another and deliberate as a law-making body. Please join us at Town Meeting on Monday evening. Scott New Start Time20190425-SM-Town Meeting Invitation_Page_2

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Posted in Budgets, Financial, Town Meeting

$40K more for town in House budget

Posted on April 11, 2019 | Comments Off on $40K more for town in House budget

$40K more for town in House budget

Email today from Representative Denise Garlick to Kristine Trierweiler announces the Medfield state aid amount in the House’s Ways and Means Committee’s proposed budget that has just been released (Rep. Garlick is now the Vice-Chair of Ways & Means).

******************************************************************

I just wanted to share with you the preliminary local aid numbers for the town of Medfield:

Unrestricted Local Aid-$1,539,280

Increase of $40,468 from FY19

******************************************************************

Massachusetts Municipal Association email with respect to the proposed House budget:

MMA-3

 

HOUSE W&M COMMITTEE OFFERS $42.7B FY 2020 BUDGET WITH KEY INVESTMENTS IN MUNICIPAL & SCHOOL AID

• INCLUDES THE FULL $29.7M INCREASE IN UNRESTRICTED MUNICIPAL AID (UGGA)

• INCREASES CHAPTER 70 BY $218M TO FUND MINIMUM AID AT $30 PER STUDENT

• INCREASES CHARTER SCHOOL REIMBURSEMENTS BY $23M

• ADDS $16.5M RESERVE FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS

• ADDS $5M TO THE SPECIAL EDUCATION CIRCUIT BREAKER

• ADDS $5M MORE FOR REGIONAL SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION

• ADDS $1M TO McKINNEY-VENTO REIMBURSEMENTS

• LEVEL-FUNDS MOST OTHER MUNICIPAL AND SCHOOL ACCOUNTS

 

April 10, 2019

 

Dear Osler Peterson,

 

Earlier today, the House Ways & Means Committee reported out a $42.7 billion fiscal 2020 state budget plan to increase overall state expenditures by 3 percent. The House Ways & Means budget’s bottom line closely matches the budget filed by the Governor in January, yet allocates significantly more for school aid programs. The Chapter 70 aid increase is $17.7 million higher than the amount recommended by the Governor, by increasing minimum aid from $20 per student to $30 per student, and adopting a slightly different method of implementing the recommendations of the Foundation Budget Review Commission. The full House will debate the fiscal 2020 state budget during the week of April 22. House members must file all budget amendments by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 12. (Usually, the House considers over 1000 amendments during budget debate week.)

 

H. 3800, the House Ways & Means budget, provides progress on many important local aid priorities, including the full $29.7 million increase in Unrestricted General Government Aid that the Governor proposed and communities are counting on. The House W&M Committee would increase funding for other major aid programs, by adding $5 million to the Special Education Circuit Breaker, adding $5 million to Regional School Transportation, $1 million to McKinney-Vento reimbursements, and increasing Chapter 70 aid by $218 million more than fiscal 2019 levels.

 

Please Click this Link Now to See the HW&M Chapter 70 and Unrestricted Municipal Aid Numbers for Your Community

 

By Friday or Early Next Week – Click on this Link to See Your Community’s Local Aid and Preliminary Cherry Sheet Numbers in the House Ways & Means Budget, as Posted by the Division of Local Services:

https://www.mass.gov/lists/cherry-sheet-estimates

 

$29.7 MILLION INCREASE IN UNRESTRICTED MUNICIPAL AID

In a major victory for cities and towns, the HW&M fiscal 2020 budget plan would provide $1.128 billion for UGGA, a $29.7 million increase over current funding – the same increase proposed by Governor Baker. The $29.7 million would increase UGGA funding by 2.7 percent, which matches the projected growth in state tax collections next year. Every city and town would see their UGGA funding increase by 2.7 percent.

 

CHAPTER 70 MINIMUM AID WOULD INCREASE TO $30 PER STUDENT

The House budget committee is proposing a $218 million increase in Chapter 70 education aid (this is $17.7 million higher than the $200.3 million increase in House One), with a provision that every city, town and school district receive an increase of at least $30 per student (compared to the $20-per-student amount in the Governor’s budget). This represents meaningful progress, yet most communities would only receive minimum aid, which is why MMA members adopted a resolution in January calling for $100 in per-student aid as a minimum increase.

 

HW&M IS PROPOSING HIGHER CH. 70 SPENDING IN FISCAL 2020, YET MAJOR SCHOOL FINANCE LEGISLATION WILL BE CONSIDERED LATER THIS YEAR, NOT AS PART OF THE BUDGET DEBATE

House leaders are committed to action on major permanent updates to the Chapter 70 school finance formula this year. However, that legislation is still before the Joint Committee on Education, and will not be ready for deliberation and debate until after the House budget moves forward. Because of this, the House Ways & Means budget is taking a one-year approach to more aggressively implement many of the recommendations of the Foundation Budget Review Commission, but is not advancing permanent law changes, which will come as part of the school finance bill. The budget committee’s proposal builds on the Governor’s fiscal 2020 submission, increasing the state’s factors for health insurance, special education, English Language Learners, and low-income students. Because the House has a slightly different methodology than the Governor, Chapter 70 calculations may be slightly different for some communities and districts (not the minimum-aid communities). Combined with higher minimum aid, these foundation calculations are the reason why the HW&M budget would provide $17.7 million more Chapter 70 aid than the Governor.

 

In addition, the House budget committee is proposing a $16.5 million reserve fund for low-income student adjustments to ensure accurate counting of low-income students and ensure that additional funds are available to fund low-income student formula changes that may come later.

 

CHARTER SCHOOL REIMBURSEMENTS WOULD INCREASE BY $23M, UP TO A NEW HIGH OF $113M

HW&M is proposing a $23 million increase in Charter School Reimbursements, bringing the program up to $113 million from the current $90 million level. This is $7 million more than the Governor’s budget, and is very much appreciated. The total is still far below full funding of the statutory formula. The budget committee is also adopting the Governor’s recommendation to change the 6-year funding schedule of 100-25-25-25-25-25 to a new 3-year 100-60-40 schedule, and make other adjustments in the program. Because there are so many factors in play, municipal leaders will need to analyze their own specific charter school tuition assessments and reimbursement amounts to see if this provides relief.

 

The MMA continues to believe that the charter school finance system is deeply flawed, and a permanent fix should include a cap on Chapter 70 diversions to charter schools. No matter what changes are made to the Chapter 70 formula, problems will continue unless a true resolution of the charter school funding problem is integrated into any reform or update of the school finance system.

 

HW&M PROVIDES $5 MILLION MORE TO SPECIAL EDUCATION CIRCUIT BREAKER, GETTING CLOSER TO FULL FUNDING

The House budget would add $5 million more than the Governor, to fund the Special Education Circuit Breaker program at $328.9 million. This is progress in the right direction, because the Governor’s budget underfunded SPED reimbursements by $20 million, which means the account is still $15 million below full funding. The MMA will again be asking lawmakers to ensure full funding in fiscal 2020.

 

HW&M PROVIDES $5 MILLION MORE FOR REGIONAL SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION REIMBURSEMENTS

Gov. Baker’s budget submission would level-funded regional transportation reimbursements at $68.9 million, and the HW&M budget would provide a much-needed $5 million increase. Reimbursements for transportation of out-of-district vocational students remains significantly underfunded at $250K. Increasing these accounts is a priority for cities and towns.

 

HW&M PROVIDES $1 MILLION MORE FOR McKINNEY-VENTO REIMBURSEMENTS

The Governor’s budget would level-fund reimbursements for the transportation of homeless students at $9.1 million, and the House budget committee would raise this to $10.1 million. The impact of this funding level will vary from community-to-community depending on the number of homeless families that remain sheltered in local hotels and motels. The state has been successful in reducing the number of homeless students who are dislocated from their original district, but those communities that continue to provide transportation to many students may continue to see shortfalls.

 

PAYMENTS-IN-LIEU-OF-TAXES (PILOT), LIBRARY AID, and SHANNON GRANTS

The Governor’s and HW&M budgets would level fund PILOT payments at $28.48 million, which would create a hardship for smaller communities with large amounts of state-owned property, and library grant programs would stay flat at $19.8 million; and Shannon anti-gang grants would increase by $1 million up to $9 million.

 

SUMMARY

In the context of a tight budget year, with revenue growth of only 2.7%, it is clear that House leaders are prioritizing K-12 education funding and other increases for cities and towns, and this is deeply appreciated.

 

During the budget debate and legislative session, the MMA will work to build on this progress, and will continue to prioritize full funding for the Foundation Budget Review Commission’s recommendations and permanent improvements to Chapter 70, fixing the serious problems caused by the current charter school funding system, securing higher minimum aid increases, achieving full funding for all state municipal and school reimbursement programs, and providing higher PILOT funding and aid for rural regional school districts.

 

Please Call Your Representatives Today to Thank Them for the Local Aid Investments in the House Ways and Means Committee Budget – Which Increases Key Municipal and School Aid Accounts by $298.2 Million Above Fiscal 2019, and $45.2 Million More than the Governor’s Budget

 

Please Explain How the House Ways and Means Budget Impacts Your Community, and Ask Your Representatives to Build on this Progress During Budget Debate in the House

 

Thank You!

 

 

Massachusetts Municipal Association

1 Winthrop Square

Boston, MA 02110

(617) 426-7272 | Email Us | View our website

 

 

 

Unsubscribe from MMA Legislative Alert Emails

 

 

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Posted in Budgets, Financial, State

Town cuts on table

Posted on March 20, 2019 | Comments Off on Town cuts on table

Kristine Trierweiler has proposed the following budget cuts that were recommended by her department heads, in an attempt to get to a balanced (no override) town budget.  On this iteration of the proposed cuts, those related to

  • the elimination of the Saturday hours at the Council on Aging,
  • elimination of the evening hours at the Town House, and
  • Sunday closing of the Medfield Memorial Library.

were stricken and eliminated from the proposal, as not being worth doing for the savings effected.

Budget Cuts Fiscal Year 2020 Department Total $ 152,817.00 Police Public Safety Building Level Fund Water and Sewer $ 550.00 Reduce Electricty Budget $ 3,000.00 Police Operations Reduce Cruiser Repair $ 2,500.00 Reduce Training and Education $ 2,500.00 Reduce Medical Budget $ 3,500.00 Subtotal $ 12,050.00 Youth Outreach Training and Education $ 250.00 Professional Services $ 200.00 Office Supplies $ 83.00 Subtotal $ 533.00 Information Technology Cut FT EE/Replace with on call consultant $ 70,350.00 Subtotal $ 70,350.00 Town Administrator (submitted to WC) Eliminate PT EE $ 7,000.00 Adjust the ATA Salary $ 15,000.00 Subtotal $ ‐ Town Administrator Eliminate Evening Hours at the TH for hourly EE (37.5 to 34.5) $ 26,094.38 Subtotal $ ‐ Accounting (Submitted to WC) Training and Education $ 100.00 Meetings/Conferences $ 400.00 Subtotal $ ‐ Library Information Technology $ 1,300.00 Utilities Electricity $ 560.00 Fuel and Gas $ 154.00 Telephone $ 885.00 Water and Sewer $ 40.00 Supplies $ 1,000.00 Eliminate High School Page $ 1,900.00 Close on Sundays (3 Hours) $ ‐ Subtotal $ 5,839.00 COA Reduce Saturday Program by 1/2 $ 7,335.00 Subtotal $ ‐ Park and Recreation Professional Services $ 1,500.00 Office Supplies $ 500.00 Subtotal $ 2,000.00 Planning Department Planning Board Reduce hours of Planning Consultant $ 645.00 Zoning Board of Appeals Reduce Professional Services $ 150.00 Subtotal $ 795.00 Department of Public Works Sidewalks $ 5,000.00 Solid Waste $ 20,000.00 Highway Materials $ 23,000.00 Equipment Repair $ 10,000.00 Utilities $ 2,800.00 Subtotal $ 60,800.00 Treasurer/Collector Postage Reduction $ 250.00 Subtotal $ 250.00 Assessors Office Supplies $ 200.00 Subtotal $ 200.0020190320-KT-Budget Cuts_FY2020_Page_2

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Posted in Budgets

It’s complicated!

Posted on March 7, 2019 | Comments Off on It’s complicated!

As a sign of just how complicated it is to run a municipality, look over the list of topics covered by the email below from the Division of Local Services (DLS) –

DLS-3
Bulletin 2019-1: FY2020 Budget Issues and Other Related Matters

The Division of Local Services has posted Bulletin 2019-1: FY2020 Budget Issues and Other Related Matters to its 2019 Bulletins page. This Bulletin addresses several issues that cities, towns, regional school and other districts should consider for FY2020 budgets and other related matters including:

Host Agreement Funds Received from Marijuana Establishments and Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers
Local Option Excise on Retail Sales of Marijuana for Adult Use
Short-term Rentals
Special Accounting Treatment for Intended FEMA Reimbursement
Balance Sheets as of 6/30/2019 and Revenue Recognition
Community Preservation Fund
Early Voting Law
PEG Access
911 Reimbursements
Appropriating Enterprise Retained Earnings
Betterment Reserve
Borrowing Purposes and Terms
Borrowing Premiums, Surplus Proceeds, and Debt Exclusions
Certification of Notes and Receipts of Audit Reports
Court Judgments
Departmental Revolving Funds
Emergency Expenditures
Energy Generating Facilities Enterprise Fund
Energy PILOTs
Estimating FY2020 Enterprise Revenues
Estimating FY2020 Medicaid Receipts
Expenditure Budgeting for FY2020
Expenditure of Federal Funds Threshold
Free Cash Update and Non-Recurrent Distributions to Cities and Towns
Internal Borrowing
Minimum Performance Bond – Treasurers, Collectors, and Clerks
Year End Transfers
School Finance
You are receiving this message through the Massachusetts Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services DLS Alerts system. These periodic notices include our City & Town e-newsletter, IGRs, Bulletins, Cherry Sheets and other municipal finance-related information. To unsubscribe to DLS Alerts and the City & Town e-newsletter, please email dls_alerts@dor.state.ma.us.

 

This email was sent to osler.peterson@verizon.net
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Massachusetts Department of Revenue – Division of Local Services · 100 Cambridge Street · Boston, MA 02114 · USA

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Posted in Budgets, State

Your tax bill

Posted on February 8, 2019 | 2 comments

The Division of Local Services (DLS) of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue sends me emails with lots of data.  I was especially interested to see our colleagues in pain on the attached chart of what towns pay for property taxes.  Look at it on-line here

FY19AvgSFTBAmount

This lists the towns paying the ten highest and lowest property taxes – we must be just off the high list:

tax bills-highest-2019

This was that same list from last year (which makes me wonder what sources of revenue Concord and Sudbury found to be able to lower their taxes):

tax bills-highest -fy18

2 Comments

Posted in Budgets, Financial, Information, Select Board matters, Town Services

Budgets are now online

Posted on January 26, 2019 | Comments Off on Budgets are now online

budget-2

Proposed Town Budgets are Online

This email yesterday from new Town Administrator, Kristine Trierweiler:

*************************************************************

Subject: Proposed FY20 Budget Online

 

The Proposed Budgets are now online

 

http://www.town.medfield.net/684/Proposed-FY20-Operating-Budgets

 

—

Kristine Trierweiler

Town Administrator
Town of Medfield

459 Main Street
Medfield, MA 02052

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Posted in Budgets, Financial, Town Meeting

CPA – town missing out

Posted on January 24, 2019 | 2 comments

The letter below that I received this week from the Norfolk Register of Deeds highlights for Medfield how, as a town, we all pay in to the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act (CPA) fund ($44,250 last year), but we get none of the monies or benefits back because we have not adopted the CPA.

The CPA is a self-imposed additional tax of from 1-3%, in exchange for which the town get state matching monies.   CPA monies have to be spent on one of three areas:

  • historic preservation
  • affordable housing
  • open space and recreation

My analysis has always been that where we already spend on those three things anyway, that by not adopting the CPA that we are merely forgoing the state matching monies.

The one time the CPA went to the annual town meeting (ATM), about ten years ago, it was defeated.

WILLIAM P. ODONNELL REGISTER OF DEEDS ASSISTANT RECORDER OF THE LAND COURT Selectman Osler L. Peterson Medfield Board of Selectmen 0 Copperwood Road Medfield, MA 02052 Dear Selectman Peterson, COUNTY OF NORFOLK COUNTY OF PRESIDENTS REGISTRY OF DEEDS NORFOLK REGISTRY DISTRICT OF THE L AND C O URT January 18, 2019 The fees for the Community Preservation Act are set by the State Legislature on land documents recorded here at the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds. l thought the chart on the reverse side would be of interest to you. It provides an illustration of the funds generated by the Community Preservation Act (CPA) in your community based on recorded real estate filings during the 2018 calendar year. The Community Preservation Act was signed into law on September 14, 2000. Today there are 175 Massachusetts communities that have adopted the Community Preservation Act, including this year the town of Plainville in Norfolk County. Just over 2.1 billion dollars has been raised to date statewide. The Registry of Deeds, at no additional cost to the Commonwealth or local communities, collects these revenues for the state once a document is recorded. The monies are then forwarded to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue on a monthly basi s. The funds collected by the Commonwealth are then redistributed back to the communities that have adopted the CPA through a variety of formulas. The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds which is located at 649 High Street, Dedham, is the principal office for real property in Norfolk County. The Registry is a resource for homeowners, title examiners, mortgage lenders, genealogists, municipalities and others with a need for secure, accurate, accessible land record information. For assistance please contact our Customer Service Center at (781) 461-6101 , or visit our website at www.norfolkdeeds.org. J hope you find this data to be timely, informative and useful. In the meantime, if I can be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me at 781-461-6116 or by email at registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org. I wish you a healthy New Year. WPO/aag Sincerely yours, "P~(}p~ William P. O'Donnell Norfolk County Register of Deeds 649 HIGH STREET. DEDHAM. MASSACHUSETTS 02026 TELEPH ONE : 781 ·46 I · 61 16 FAX 78 1 ·326·4246 EM A I L : registerodonnell@norlolkdeeds.org www .norfolkdeeds.org •~7SC ~ facebook.com/NorfolkDeeds ~ twitter.com/NorfolkDeeds YouiD youtube.com/NorfolkDeeds Linked rm linkedin.com/company/Norfolk·County·Registry·Of·Deeds (.@) @NorfolkDeeds NORFOLK COUNTY REGISTRY OF DEEDS •I COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT (CPA) SURCHARGES BY TOWN FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2018 TOWN TOTAL AVON $1~,450 BF.I ,IJNGHAM $66,660 BRAINTREE $112,570 BROOKLINE $150,350 CANTON $86,090 COHASSET $39,420 DEDHAM $83,650 DOVER $23,650 , FOXBOROUGH $58,270 FRANKLIN $110,350 •( HOLBROOK . $40,100 MEDFIET,n $44,150 MEDWAY $47,000 MILLIS $31,420 MILTON $86,060 NEEDHAM $103,370 NORFOLK $40,980 NORWOOD $80,170 PLAINVILLE $29,560 QUINCY $244,110 RANDOLPH $100,420 SHARON $56,740 STOUGHTON $96,000 WALPOLE $88,710 WELLESLEY $87,090 WESTWOOD $51,890 WEYMOUTH $200,460 WRENTHAM $47,530 II :''20190118-norfolk register of deeds-ltr from-cpa figures for 2018_page_2

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Budgets, Community Preservation Act (CPA), History, Open space, Recreation, State

MMA on Gov’s budget proposal

Posted on January 23, 2019 | Comments Off on MMA on Gov’s budget proposal

The Massachusetts Municipal Association sent out this email today on its analysis of the Governor’s budget proposal:

GOV. BAKER FILES $42.7 BILLION FY 2020 BUDGET PROPOSAL

• UNRESTRICTED MUNICIPAL AID WOULD INCREASE BY $29.7M (2.7%)

• GOV’S CH. 70 PLAN WOULD INCREASE FY 2020 SCHOOL AID BY $200M (4.3%)

• BUT MANY DISTRICTS STUCK AT $20-PER-STUDENT MINIMUM AID

• CHARTER SCHOOL & SPECIAL ED REIMBURSEMENTS UNDERFUNDED

• MOST OTHER MUNICIPAL AND SCHOOL ACCOUNTS LEVEL-FUNDED

January 23, 2019

Dear Osler Peterson,

Earlier this afternoon, Gov. Charlie Baker submitted a $42.7 billion fiscal 2020 state budget plan with the Legislature, proposing a spending blueprint that would increase overall state expenditures by 1.5 percent, as the Administration deals with slow revenue growth by restraining most spending across the board and placing an estimated $297 million into the state’s rainy day fund. The budget relies on “significant” one-time revenues of at least $200 million from a “sales tax modernization proposal.”

UNRESTRICTED MUNICIPAL AID INCREASED BY $30 MILLION

As Gov. Baker pledged to local officials on Jan. 18 at the MMA’s Annual Meeting, his budget includes a $29.7 million increase in Unrestricted General Government Aid, tracking the expected 2.7% increase in state tax revenues.

Click here to see the Division of Local Services preliminary fiscal 2020 Cherry Sheet aid amounts for your community

OVERALL CHAPTER 70 SCHOOL AID WOULD GO UP BY $200 MILLION, YET A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF DISTRICTS WOULD REMAIN AT MINIMUM AID ONLY

The Governor filed separate legislation to amend the Chapter 70 school finance law, and provided a $200 million increase in school aid in his fiscal 2020 budget recommendation to fund the first year of what the Administration says is a seven-year plan to implement a number of changes to the current law, primarily in the areas recommended by the Foundation Budget Review Commission. An initial look at House 1 indicates that a large percentage of cities, towns and school districts would not benefit from the formula changes in fiscal 2020, and would remain minimum-aid-only. The budget plan sets the minimum aid increase at only $20-per-student, which would present large challenges for all of these communities. MMA members from across Massachusetts unanimously adopted a resolution calling for at least $100-per-student minimum aid at last week’s Annual Meeting.

Click here to see DESE’s calculation of fiscal 2020 Chapter 70 aid and Net School Spending requirements for your city, town, or regional school district, based on the Governor’s proposed budget and legislation

CHARTER SCHOOL REIMBURSEMENTS REMAIN SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERFUNDED; FIXING THE CHARTER SCHOOL FINANCE SYSTEM MUST BE PART OF ANY CHAPTER 70 REFORM PLAN

Further, the Administration is proposing a few changes to the Charter School Reimbursement Program, but this does not come close to achieving the permanent fix that is needed to repair the flawed charter school finance system. Current reimbursements this year are set at $90 million, $72 million below the full funding level of $162 million. The Governor’s budget would increase charter school reimbursements to $106 million, and would change the 6-year funding schedule of 100-25-25-25-25-25 to a new 3-year 100-60-40 schedule, phased in over 3 years, however the plan would also increase the facilities assessment payments to charter schools, and make other changes.

The MMA’s immediate analysis is that charter school reimbursements would continue to fall far short, and this restructuring would not fix the charter school finance system. This would continue to divert Chapter 70 funds away from municipally operated school districts, and place greater strain on the districts that serve 96% of public school children. No matter what changes are made to the Chapter 70 formula, major problems will continue unless a true resolution of the charter school funding problem is integrated into any reform or update of the school finance system.

SPECIAL EDUCATION CIRCUIT BREAKER UNDERFUNDED

The Governor’s budget would add $4.5 million to fund the Special Education Circuit Breaker program at $323.9 million, an increase of only 1.4%. Because special education costs are expected to rise in fiscal 2020, this means that the Governor’s budget substantially underfunds reimbursements. Today DESE officials said the House 1 appropriation would result in a 70% reimbursement, rather than the statutory 75%. This is a vital account that every city, town and school district relies on to fund state-mandated services. The MMA will again be asking lawmakers to ensure full funding in fiscal 2020.

REGIONAL SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION REIMBURSEMENTS LEVEL FUNDED

Gov. Baker’s budget submission would level-fund regional transportation reimbursements at the $68.9 million amount. This will be a hardship for virtually all communities in regional districts. Reimbursements for transportation of out-of-district vocational students remains significantly underfunded at $250K. Increasing these accounts is a priority for cities and towns.

McKINNEY-VENTO REIMBURSEMENTS LEVEL FUNDED

The Governor’s budget would level-fund reimbursements for the transportation of homeless students at $9.1 million. The impact of this funding level will vary from community-to-community depending on the number of homeless families that remain sheltered in local hotels and motels. The Administration has been successful in reducing the number of homeless students who are dislocated from their original district, but those communities that continue to provide transportation to many students may continue to see shortfalls.

PAYMENTS-IN-LIEU-OF-TAXES (PILOT), SHANNON GRANTS AND LIBRARY AID LEVEL FUNDED

The Governor’s budget would level fund PILOT payments at $28.48 million, Shannon anti-gang grants at $8 million, and fund library grant programs at $19.8 million.

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY AND CALL ON THEM

TO COMMIT TO COMPREHENSIVE REFORM OF OUR SCHOOL FINANCE LAWS TO BENEFIT ALL COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING FIXING THE FLAWS IN CHARTER SCHOOL FUNDING, AND FULLY FUNDING KEY MUNICIPAL AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS

THANK YOU!

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Posted in Budgets, Massachusetts Municipal Association, State

State $ for FY20

Posted on January 23, 2019 | Comments Off on State $ for FY20

The Governor’s budget gives Medfield a little more than last year:

fy20-gov budget

EMAIL BELOW THAT CAME TODAY FROM DIVISION OF LOCAL SERVICES (DLS):
FY2020 Preliminary Cherry Sheet Estimates

The Division of Local Services has posted on its website preliminary cherry sheet estimates based on Governor Baker’s FY2020 budget recommendation (House 1), which was released today.
Municipal estimates receipts and charges
Regional school estimated receipts and charges
The House 1 budget proposal is based on An Act to Promote Equity and Excellence in Education, a comprehensive school finance bill filed by the Baker-Polito Administration. The bill implements the major recommendations of the Foundation Budget Review Commission (FBRC) and significantly increases the Foundation Budget over time, beginning in FY2020. In addition, H.1 and the accompanying legislation also incorporate other enhancements to the Commonwealth’s school funding framework.

The Administration is introducing a new three-year formula for reimbursing school districts for charter school tuition increases, putting the program on schedule for full funding within a three-year time frame. Once fully phased in, districts will be reimbursed 100% in year one, 60% in year two and 40% in year three. H.1 budget language also creates a Public School Improvement Trust Fund, funded with one-time revenue, to be used at the discretion of the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education to help accelerate improvement in low performing schools.

More detailed information regarding these and other school finance related initiatives contained in H.1 and the accompanying legislation can be found on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) website at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/finance/chapter70.  Information includes the Chapter 70 aid calculations, minimum contributions and net school spending requirements.

Specifically, House 1 recommends funding FY2020 Chapter 70 at $5.108 billion, or $200.3 million higher than the FY2019 GAA; increases Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) by $29.7 million to $1.129 billion and increases Charter Tuition Assessment Reimbursements to $106.0 million, a $16.0 million increase over the FY2019 GAA; and level funding most other cherry sheet accounts at the FY2019 amounts.

Cherry sheet estimates for charter school tuition and reimbursements are based on estimated tuition rates and projected enrollments under charters previously issued by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Please be advised that charter school assessments and reimbursements will change as updated tuition rates and enrollments become available. Estimates for the school choice assessments may also change significantly when updated to reflect final tuition rates and enrollments.

Estimates for the State-owned land program reflect changes to both the valuation of state-owned land properties and the calculation of the reimbursement, based on the Municipal Modernization Act. For more information about the State-owned land program, please view the State-owned land FAQs found on the DLS website.  The FAQs and current State-owned land values can be found here. Local officials should note that these numbers are subject to both the legislative process as well as adjustments due to acquisitions and dispositions that have not been included in these values yet.

It is important for local officials to remember that these estimates are preliminary and are subject to change as the legislative process unfolds.

Please contact the DLS Municipal Databank at databank@dor.state.ma.us or (617) 626-2384 with any questions.
You are receiving this message through the Massachusetts Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services DLS Alerts system. These periodic notices include our City & Town e-newsletter, IGRs, Bulletins, Cherry Sheets and other municipal finance-related information. To unsubscribe to DLS Alerts and the City & Town e-newsletter, please email dls_alerts@dor.state.ma.us.

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Posted in Budgets, State

Plan to address our lack of a commercial tax base

Posted on November 27, 2018 | Comments Off on Plan to address our lack of a commercial tax base

I just responded to a great comment from Nic Scalfarotto, and since my general sense is that such comments and my replies are not likely seem by many, and sense Nic raised a big issue, I thought I would post both his comment and my reply here so more can see them.

Nic, I added a little more on as well.

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Nic Scalfarotto

34 minutes ago
User Info
Assessors tax classification hearing

Accepting that developing differential tax rates would not provide benefit to home owners because there is a small industrial base, a plan to address the lack of such a base needs to be developed and communicated to residents.

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Plan to address our lack of a commercial tax base

As a new selectman, my first search was for businesses that wanted to locate in town, and when that did not seem a likely result, I have turned to having a town policy of building housing that is revenue positive to the town.

We know that people want to live in town, but mainly not build businesses here. The can make tax money and reduce our current residents’ taxes by building the kind of housing that is more profitable, such as Old Village Square (42 units paying over $600K/year in taxes, with one school child the last time I heard) or the two Larkin brothers projects (Glover Place off North Street and Chapel Hill on Hospital Road, again, both with few school children).

See the analysis that Kathy McCabe, the consultant to the Medfield State Hospital Master Planning Committee, did of the potential taxes to the town from leasing the lot 3 land the town owns on Ice House Road to build 42 units of senior housing versus leasing to a commercial facility, and the town netted either more than double or more that triple the taxes from the residential use over the sports complex, depending on whether the  housing was either 100% or 25% affordable, respectively.  Those results were summarized in Steve Nolan’s 1/2/2018 memo to the Board of Selectmen available here –20180102-SN-Memo to MSHMPC re HinkleyIce House Road v2 – final sent to BoS and inserted below as well.

I think that many of the friendly 40B projects that we are currently allowing in order to be in safe harbor, will be revenue positive. Statistically, we are told that we will likely average about 1.5 school children per in single family houses, while we will likely average 0.15 school children per unit in multifamily housing. So multifamily housing may well be revenue positive for the town, even if not age restricted.

Additionally, the town is already mainly single family homes, so we really do not need any more single family homes options, while we do not have a sufficient variety of other housing opportunities for residents, especially for seniors. Current proposals in the pipeline will assist at filling in that gap:
8 units on North Street (two developments)
36 units on Dale Street
16 units on Adams Street, age restricted
42 units at the Rosebay, age restricted
56 units (from memory) at The Legion site

However, such diversification of the tax base can only accomplish so much with respect to reducing our individual tax bills. The other issue with which we need to deal is the town’s willing to spend, witness our vote at the last annual town meeting (ATM) to increase our tax bills by about 10%, over the objections of the Board of Selectmen and the Warrant Committee.

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MEMORANDUM TO: Medfield State Hospital Master Planning Committee FROM: Stephen M. Nolan, Chair Medfield State Hospital Master Planning Committee RE: Hinkley Property and Lot 3, Ice House Road DATE: January 2, 2018 The original charge from the Board of Selectmen to the Medfield State Hospital Master Planning Committee (the "Committee") included Lot 3 on Ice House Road (“Lot 3”) and the adjacent Hinkley property (the “Hinkley Property”). It was our understanding that we were to take a fresh look at Lot 3 and the Hinkley Property in order to decide the most appropriate use for each parcel and how they might best be coordinated with the re-use plan for the Medfield State Hospital (“MSH”) core campus. It has since become clear that at least one of member of the Board of Selectmen believes that the best use for Lot 3 is an indoor sports facility, so that preference should be accommodated if possible in our final plan. A. Possible Uses of Lot 3 and the Hinkley Property. The consensus that has emerged from our public sessions, our meetings with the Council on Aging and the Senior Housing Study Committee and Committee deliberations is that the most desirable use for Lot 3 and the Hinkley Property is senior housing. The principal reasons for this are twofold: access to The Center and the possibility that a senior housing development could happen on a more expedited basis than the re-development of the MSH core campus because infrastructure is more readily available and the properties could be disposed of on an expedited track. The Council on Aging has expressed potential willingness to cede a small portion of the land at the corner of The Center adjacent to the Hinkley Property for purposes of enhancing the development potential of the Hinkley Property. The possible use of Lot 3 as an indoor sports facility on the other hand would respect a past Town Meeting vote to devote Lot 3 to an indoor sports facility and would increase the commercial tax base of the Town. On the latter point, our consultant, Kathy McCabe, did some research on the likely tax revenue from such a facility. Since the developable area of Lot 3 is only approximately 4.8 acres, the lot cannot support a large facility. Based on a survey of indoor sports facilities in MetroWest, it appears that a site of approximately 5 acres can likely support a facility of 100,000 square feet or less. The Forekicks facility in Norfolk is approximately 83,000 square feet and has a tax valuation of $5,000,000. Using that valuation as a basis for comparison, a 100,000 square foot facility would have a valuation of approximately $6,000,000, which would produce annual tax revenue of approximately $100,000. Kathy McCabe estimates that a 100% affordable senior rental housing project with 42 units would produce annual tax revenue of approximately $240,000 and the same project with only 25% of the units affordable (which would still qualify as 42 affordable units on DHCD’s Subsidized Housing Inventory) would produce annual tax revenue of approximately $320,000. So the revenue to the Town from a senior housing project would likely be significantly greater than the tax revenue of an indoor sports complex. This revenue must be off-set, however, by municipal expenses, which for 42 units of housing would be approximately $108,000 (assuming no school children). We have not been able to quantify the additional municipal services (traffic control, emergency services, road maintenance, snow-plowing) from a sports facility, but they should be factored into the cost-benefit analysis at some point. Even ignoring those costs, the net impact of a 100% affordable senior rental project would be at least $30,000 greater than an indoor sports facility while a 25% affordable senior rental project would be at least $110,000 more favorable to the Town budget than an indoor sports complex. Other possible impacts to be considered include traffic. Our consultant has advised that a sports facility on Lot 3 would create considerably greater traffic and possible over-flow parking than a 42-unit senior rental housing project, which could negatively impact The Center and a possible senior-appropriate homeownership development at the Hinkley Property. For example, parking at Forekicks in Norfolk requires about 1.7 acres, roughly equivalent to the size of the facility itself. Ingress and egress to and from the Norfolk Forekicks parking lots is a very serious problem during change-over times when cars are both entering and exiting the facility. In inclement weather conditions with snow and ice the traffic impacts are even worse. One other factor to be considered in deciding the possible use of Lot 3 is the Town’s disposition process. The difficulty in disposing of Lot 3 for a sports facility is that the Kingsbury Club has a provision in its lease that prohibits the Town from allowing a sports facility at Lot 3 without the consent of the Kingsbury Club. The Kingsbury Club has announced its interest in developing a sports facility on Lot 3, which suggests that the Kingsbury Club might use its consent right to thwart other possible developers interested in developing Lot 3 for a recreational facility. This needs to be factored into any possible disposition strategy for Lot 3. B. Rezoning. Lot 3 is already zoned to permit an indoor sports facility. The proposed overlay zoning being considered by the Committee would allow the development of both parcels for housing. The disposition process, described below, would need to control the use of each parcel. By using an overlay district, the underlying zoning of Lot 3 can be left intact, thus allowing for either housing or an indoor sports facility on Lot 3, depending on the Town’s preferences. If Lot 3 and the Hinkley Property are zoned for as-of-right housing under the Committee’s overlay zoning, a developer could start the development process as soon as disposition were completed, avoiding the process for obtaining a comprehensive permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals, a process that can be time-consuming and expensive. We should consider whether to exempt the houses on the Hinkley Property from the Town’s inclusionary housing bylaw in order to allow more flexibility in providing as many dwellings as possible at a moderate (although not 40B compliant) price-point. We should also consider including duplexes, at least for the moderately-priced units, in order to further reduce prices. C. Potential Disposition Process and Timing. The disposition process for Lot 3 and the Hinkley Property should be handled by either the Affordable Housing Trust or the Affordable Housing Committee if they are to be developed as housing or, in the case of Lot 3, by another committee, such as the Economic Development Committee, if it is to be developed as an indoor sports facility. The Selectmen should decide on the appropriate body to handle the dispositions so that they can be placed on the market as soon as possible to address the desire for senior housing. The Selectmen and the Affordable Housing Trust will also need to decide on whether to provide a subsidy to developers in order to encourage moderate sales prices on the homeownership units to be constructed at the Hinkley Property. That decision is a complicated one because the seniors who would likely purchase the units are not likely to qualify under any governmental program providing subsidies for affordable housing creation and the units would not qualify for the Subsidized Housing Inventory. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the price of new single-family homes, even those of smaller size and senior-appropriate design are likely to exceed $750,000. The Senior Study Committee has requested that homes be priced in the area of $400,000. Such a price-point would likely require a subsidy even beyond free land, so the Selectmen or the Affordable Housing Trust would need to decide to whether to provide an additional cash subsidy or allow developers to compete based on the number of units to be made available at the $400,000 price point. In other words, developers would bid not based on price, but rather on the number of units to be sold to seniors at $400,000. This would be a complicated disposition because some minimum specifications for the moderately-priced units would need to be incorporated, as would a local preference for those units. In addition, this decision must consider the equity and fairness in providing implicit or direct subsidies (through low or zero land values or cash subsidies) for one selected group -- such as senior citizens -- and not other worthy groups such as returning veterans or persons with physical or developmental disabilities. The selection of potential buyers of moderately-priced homes is also a matter that must be decided. Given that the Town would be providing a subsidy in the form of free land, questions will arise as to whether purchasers should be means tested or otherwise selected based on need. That is another issue that the Selectmen will need to resolve. Because Lot 3 and the Hinkley Property are not located at the MSH core campus and will have separate infrastructure needs, there appears to be no reason why the Town should not proceed to prepare a disposition RFP that would allow for selection of a preferred developer promptly after Special Town Meeting approval of the re-zoning. The 42-unit rental project on Lot 3, if initiated promptly, could help provide the Town with a two-year extension of the 40B safe harbor that is currently in effect.20180102-SN-Memo to MSHMPC re HinkleyIce House Road v2 - final sent to BoS_Page_220180102-SN-Memo to MSHMPC re HinkleyIce House Road v2 - final sent to BoS_Page_320180102-SN-Memo to MSHMPC re HinkleyIce House Road v2 - final sent to BoS_Page_4

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