Muni Matters reports on key issues and breaking news affecting cities and towns in Massachusetts
Proposal Would Strike “Selectmen” from Constitution
The word “selectmen” appears 17 times in the Massachusetts Constitution, and a new proposal from a state senator would replace each of those mentions with “select board.” Belmont Sen. Will Brownsberger filed the proposed constitutional amendment (SD 2564) last week. Use of the gender-neutral term “select board” has picked up steam in recent years, with many towns individually moving to rename their boards of selectmen.
On Beacon Hill, the House and Senate’s versions of proposed joint rules for the 2021-2022 session, which are currently subject to conference committee negotiations, each replace the term “board of selectmen” with “select board” in a section regarding local approval of home rule petitions. Of the 292 Massachusetts municipalities that have town forms of government, more than 100 have adopted the name “select board” for their elected policy body, a Massachusetts Municipal Association list shows. In many cases, those name changes have involved securing legislative and gubernatorial approval for home rule petitions formally amending the town’s charter.
So far this session, lawmakers have filed such name-change petitions for Hopkinton (HD 1412) and Middleborough (SD 1862). The MMA’s Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association voted in January 2020 to change its name to the Massachusetts Select Board Association, a move the group said was proposed by its executive board “in order to align with a trend among cities and towns to adopt gender-neutral terms for local government bodies in an effort to promote inclusivity and equality.” Similarly, every Massachusetts city that had once had a board of aldermen has now renamed those bodies to city councils. Melrose became the final city to do so, via an October 2019 law. – Katie Lannan/SHNS
Division of Local Services Losing a Majority of Bureau Chiefs
The heads of three of the five bureaus of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services are retiring in the coming months, leaving significant vacancies in a state office that acts as a crucial link between state and local governments. Mary Jane Handy, director of the Bureau of Accounts, Joanne Graziano, chief of the Bureau of Local Assessment, and Patricia Hunt, chief of the Bureau of Municipal Finance Law, are each leaving state service “in the coming weeks and months,” Senior Deputy Commissioner of Local Services Sean Cronin said.
“The leadership Joanne, MJ and Patricia have displayed over the past year during such unprecedented times speaks clearly to their talents, dedication and love of public service. It has been my privilege to work with them and I wish them all the best in their future endeavors,” he said. “Currently, my top priority is filling these three critical positions with highly talented, capable people who will make the transition as seamless as possible.”
As head of the accounts bureau, Handy was in charge of the oversight of “the financial management of municipalities within the Commonwealth,” DLS said. Cronin said her experience “including personal knowledge of the challenges of smaller-sized communities and how regional schools operate, has informed many of our decisions during her time at DLS.” Graziano led the state office that reviews and recertifies each municipality’s property values every five years and Cronin said she “introduced me to both the art and science of professional assessing.” Hunt, the head of the Municipal Finance Law Bureau, provided legal and policy advice on municipal tax and finance laws. Cronin said Hunt “played a key role in the development of the municipal finance law changes enacted last spring to help municipalities operate during the pandemic.” The heads of DLS’s Data Analytics and Resources Bureau and its Technical Assistance Bureau are expected to remain in place as the other three bureaus undergo leadership transitions. – Colin A. Young/SHNS
Remote Work Contributes to Framingham Tax Hike
In Framingham, the coronavirus pandemic has not had a major impact on city revenues but the shift to remote work and the significant drop-off in commercial water and sewer use last year now has residents facing a double-digit rate hike this summer. The structural deficit of more than $2 million in Framingham’s water and sewer fund and the city’s plan for a 12 percent water and sewer rate increase beginning July has been previously reported, but last week it caught the attention of the credit rating agency Moody’s Investor Services. The firm assigned a Aa2 rating to the $13.345 million worth of the city’s general obligation refunding bonds and said the COVID-19 pandemic was “not a material driver” in its Aa2 rating since the city relies mostly on dependable property taxes as its primary revenue source.
“Although, the pandemic has impacted the city’s utility enterprise fund that accounts for water and sewer operations. The fiscal 2020 financial report is expected to reflect a negative $2.5 million fund balance in the utility fund, equal to approximately 5% of operating revenue, due to the dramatic decline in commercial property water and sewer usage during the fourth quarter of the year,” Moody’s said.
The American Rescue Plan Act recently signed by President Joe Biden will steer $3.4 billion in relief funding to Massachusetts cities, towns and counties to be used for, among other things, water and sewer projects. But the precise details around what cities can and cannot use the federal money for will not be available for several more weeks.
“What constitutes a water or sewer project or broadband project?” Bharat Ramamurti, deputy director of the National Economic Council, asked lawmakers rhetorically in late March as he explained that federal officials expect a lot of back-and-forth over what cities and towns can use the federal assistance for once the U.S. Treasury released guidelines in May. – Colin A. Young/SHNS
Municipal Assoc. Moves Closer to State House
After 15 years in the heart of Downtown Crossing, the Massachusetts Municipal Association moved late last month to a new home, nestled right between the State House and Boston City Hall. The MMA and the Mass. Interlocal Insurance Association moved March 22 to the sixth floor of 3 Center Plaza, leaving behind their digs at One Winthrop Square. All employees have been working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic and the MMA said its new offices are outfitted with state-of-the-art technology for virtual meetings and events.
“When the new owners of One Winthrop Square announced in late 2019 that they were converting the building into lab space, we knew that the MMA would be on the move at some point, but we didn’t know we’d be doing it during a pandemic. Fortunately, our search identified a high-quality and affordable location with excellent technology and convenience for our staff and membership,” MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith said in the organization’s monthly newsletter.
“Moving during COVID has lots of challenges, but our great staff has been amazing, and we can’t wait to finish the transition and open our doors once it is safe to do so.” The MMA said that it plans to continue to hold its events virtually until at least Labor Day “out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our staff and members.” The new address for the MMA and MIIA is 3 Center Plaza, Suite 610, Boston, MA 02108. The MMA said its employees remain available to members by email or by calling 617- 426-7272. – Colin A. Young/SHNS
State Funds Available for Climate Change Preparedness
Cities and towns can now apply for the next round of planning grants to help them identify climate hazards, assess vulnerabilities and develop action plans focused on climate change resilience. The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs is now accepting proposals for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program, which provides support to help communities become more resilient to climate change. Planning grant applications must be received by June 4, while action grant applications are due by 2 p.m. on May 7. Additional information is available on the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program website.
Communities that have already received a planning grant and been designated as an MVP program municipality are eligible to submit proposals for action grants, which provide funding for local projects developed during the planning process. According to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, proposals that emphasize conservation, nature-based solutions and community engagement are preferred.
Last month, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides told state budget writers that the MVP grant program had enrolled 89 percent of all municipalities but will not be able to keep up with the funding necessary to address climate adaptation. For the most recent round, she said, the program got $45 million worth of requests and had just $10.45 million to allocate. – Meg McIntyre/SHNS
