Cities and towns want more from the commonwealth, which is being shorted by the feds

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Stop me if you've heard this one before: elected officials say the elected officials upstream of them are making things harder on them and not kicking down enough support.

That was a popular argument this week, and one that was both incoming to and outgoing from Beacon Hill.

The inbound came from the Mass. Municipal Association, which warned of a "perfect storm" and of a "fiscal crisis in cities and towns" as costs for local schools, health care, energy, construction and insurance outpace local revenue growth. Adjusted for inflation, unrestricted local aid from the state has fallen 25% over the last two decades, the report said, and property tax increases are constrained by Proposition 2 1/2. The main beef seemed to be that the state isn't sharing enough local aid, and isn't giving towns real revenue-raising authority.

Never mind being able to respond to resident calls for better local services, the MMA report said the imbalance between cost and revenue growth means local governments that feel like they have already cut to the bone often have to ponder the existential.

"When you talk about what makes a city or town a 'community,' it's libraries and senior centers and the staff you can rely on to respond to a 911 call or fix a pothole," Adams Select Board Member Christine Hoyt said. "The big things and the little things all matter."

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State government knows a thing or two about feeling like they are in a less-than-desirable position because of actions taken by the government upstairs. In fact, Gov. Maura Healey continued to make noise about that very thing this week.

"Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans' funding cuts are making life more expensive for Massachusetts residents, undermining public safety, taking away health care, and hurting our businesses," she said. "There is no way that any state can make up for the billions of dollars they are cutting from our budgets."

Local officials from Pittsfield to Provincetown would have been nodding in vigorous agreement had the guv's comments not come in a written statement.

The Healey administration released new data Tuesday showing that budget cuts stemming from actions by President Trump and Congressional Republicans could have a $3.7 billion impact on the state over the next three years, including the expectation that tax revenues will come in $664 million less than projected this year.

But despite the rising alarms around the state's fiscal picture and deep federal cuts, the House held just its second formal session since recessing at the end of July — and it was to increase spending in the state budget.

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With a brief explanation and no debate, representatives replaced more than half of what Healey had trimmed from the fiscal year 2026 budget when she signed it this summer. The Senate could now consider following suit and adding $70.4 million back into the state budget.

"With revenue stable so far in this fiscal year and with a large amount of money left on our balance sheet to anticipate future shocks to our system, we believe that we can afford to override the vetoes," House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz said Wednesday. He added, "As we progress through the fiscal year and we see how our revenue numbers continue to progress itself, we will continue to work with our partners in the Senate to manage the situation and respond in the most fiscally responsible manner."

Healey suggested this week that her requests for greater federal government support are mostly limited to money. 

She called a press conference Wednesday to address the increasing popularity of "illegal street meetups," or coordinated mass car rallies that last weekend devolved into violence in some cases. While it was a pressing enough to trigger its own press event and an order for the State Police head to "work operationally" to help local police respond to such events, Healey said Trump doesn't need to send any help from the National Guard.

"He absolutely shouldn't," she said. "There's simply no reason for any guard to come anywhere near Massachusetts."

The governor continued, "Crime happens. I’m talking about a particular trend that I’m seeing here. The important thing is we’re responding, we take action."

KELLER AT LARGE: 8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV. Political analyst Jon Keller's guest is GOP candidate for governor Michael Minogue.

@ ISSUE SIT DOWN: 9:30 a.m., NBC 10. Reporter Matt Prichard interviews Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria, who discusses the soccer stadium, a city audit and federal immigration enforcement.

ON THE RECORD: 11 a.m., WCVB. The guest is Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo.

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CFO, Girl Scouts of Central and Western MA

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Executive Director, Massachusetts Housing Partnership

Economic Development DirectorManager of Financial Assessments, City of Haverhill

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