“Governor Patrick and his Administration are not being honest and upfront with the taxpayers of Massachusetts when announcing their reduction to unrestricted local aid, for a supposed total savings of $9 million. The fact of the matter is that Governor Patrick’s 9C plan removes nearly $38.5 million from municipal budgets.
In addition to the widely reported $9 million cut to Unrestricted General Government Aid, the Governor has gone ahead and reduced allotments for several other local aid accounts. These cuts are to vital programs such as Regional and Homeless Student Transportation and Special Education. Couple these reductions with an across the board cut to local aid, and the Governor’s actions could have a potentially disastrous effect on cities and towns statewide.
The Patrick Administration has accumulated an impressive record of cherry-picking numbers to suit their political purpose. At the very least, the Governor should be more forthright when making decisions that impact our local governments.”
