Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Dear Representative,
On behalf of the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, the Massachusetts Municipal Association wishes to express its support for the provisions offered in H. 4618, An Act Relative to Municipal Relief, which would provide municipalities with new areas of opportunity and flexibility to help balance local budgets and operate more effectively.
In particular, the MMA extends appreciation to Chairman Murphy, Chairman Donato, Representative Kulik and all of the legislators who have contributed to and led the process of developing this legislation as well as the wide range of recommendations contained in the bill generated by the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government.
H. 4618 contains the following key MMA-supported measures that are extremely time sensitive:
Pension Repayment Funding Schedule Extension (Sections 1-4), providing for a 10-year extension of the pension repayment schedule, from 2030 to 2040, to help amortize unprecedented asset losses experienced during the previous two years.
Municipal Early Retirement Incentive Program (Section 11), which creates an optional municipal early retirement program, requiring both executive and legislative approval.
Public Safety Mutual Aid (Section 6), which establishes both a local-option public works mutual aid program for day-to-day maintenance and operations and a broad-based emergency assistance mutual aid program.
We understand and respect the decision to uncouple the issue of municipal health insurance reform from this particular bill at this time, as the municipal items in H. 4618 are extremely time-sensitive and are generally uncontroversial. The MMA continues to urgently call for passage of legislation to give cities and towns the power to update municipal health insurance plans outside of collective bargaining, which is what state government does, and would save up to $100 million statewide. This continues to be the MMA’s top priority, and this vital legislation must pass this year in order to provide relief for communities and taxpayers. We will continue to work with you and your colleagues and other stakeholders in the coming days, as this measure must receive legislative action in the very near future.
As you know, the municipal relief legislation before you contains many components of the bill initiated by the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government. There are many amendments to augment H. 4618 with additional provisions from the Joint Committee’s bill and to offer some new ideas. The MMA supports the following amendments and asks you to include these proposals in your final bill:
Procurement
Amendment #1, filed by Rep. Stephen Kulik, would authorize cities, towns and school districts to participate in cooperative purchasing agreements with public agencies outside Massachusetts.
Amendments #2 and #85, filed by Reps. Stephen Kulik and Smitty Pignatelli, would adjust the threshold that requires a payment bond for public construction projects to $25,000.
Amendments #60 and #89, filed by Reps. David Sullivan, James Cantwell and others, would allow municipalities to meet procurement requirements through purchase from the General Services Administration supply schedule, authorize procurement officers to use reverse auction to buy products and services in amounts greater than $25,000, and clarify that intergovernmental transactions are exempt from Chapter 30B.
Regionalization
Amendment #28, filed by Rep. Stephen Kulik, would provide that a municipal decision to enter into an intermunicipal agreement or join a regional entity shall not be subject to collective bargaining. This is essential in order to regionalize many services, including emergency dispatch. Regionalizing services should be a decision made by the elected officials in a community and should not be subject to negotiations.
Chapter 40B
Amendment #34, filed by Rep. William Greene Jr., would allow municipalities to collect excess profits from Chapter 40B projects and use the funds for planning, education, public safety and infrastructure.
Municipal Borrowing
Amendments #54 and #65, filed by Reps. Martha Walz, Thomas Conroy and others, would increase the flexibility in municipal and regional school district borrowing.
Elections
Amendment #69, filed by Rep. Michael Moran, would reduce the number of election officers for polling places and authorize the Secretary of State to validate a town election or actions taken at Town Meeting where an inadvertent failure to comply with certain procedures occurred.
Abandoned and Unclaimed Checks
Amendment #76, filed by Rep. Pam Richardson, would allow a one-year expiration period to be printed on checks, but would not change the current requirement to attempt to contact the recipient by mail and provide public notice prior to reclamation.
Trench Safety
Amendment #77, filed by Reps. Pam Richardson and others, would waive the requirement that contractors acquire a trench permit for one-day excavations.
Electronic Billing
Amendment #82, filed by Reps. Carolyn Dykema and others, would allow cities and towns to establish a voluntary e-billing program.
The following MMA-backed amendments were not included in the Joint Committee report but would provide necessary assistance to cities and towns:
Telecom Tax Fairness
Amendment #38, filed by Rep. Jonathan Hecht, would end the property tax exemption for machinery owned by telecommunications companies. Ending this special tax break would generate an estimated $25 million for cities and towns.
Double Poles
Amendment #95, filed by Rep. Carl Sciortino and others, would authorize cities and towns to levy a fine on utility companies that do not remove double poles within the statutorily prescribed 90-day timeframe.
Municipal Light Plants
Amendment #70, filed by Rep. Jay Kaufman and others, would facilitate the process of acquiring a municipal light plant by clarifying how cities and towns may “municipalize” or acquire the assets of the existing utility in order to establish a municipal light plant.
Exemption from State Gas Tax
Amendment #15, filed by Rep. Brad Jones Jr. and others, would exempt cities and towns from paying the state gasoline excise tax.
The MMA appreciates your consideration and passage of this legislation. Across the Commonwealth, municipal leaders look forward to the package’s swift passage so that they can utilize these tools, resources and efficiencies as they navigate an extremely difficult and painful local budget season.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Geoffrey C. Beckwith
Executive Director