Jeff Bennett
Local officials request state, federal aid to cover snow deficits
- March 5, 2015
“The multitude and severity of the storms this winter could not have been anticipated, and no city or town could have projected or fully budgeted for the enormous snow and ice removal expense,” the local officials wrote in letters to state leaders and the state’s congressional delegation. “Snow and ice removal is a service that cannot be downsized, reduced or eliminated. No matter what the cost, we must keep the plows and sanders operating.”
A letter to Gov. Charlie Baker, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg and House Speaker Robert DeLeo requests “special one-time financial assistance” from the state to erase municipal snow-removal deficits. State law allows communities to incur deficits in snow-removal accounts, but the full deficit must be paid in the next year, either through a property tax increase or by reducing funding for other municipal services.
“The financial relief you provide would protect local taxpayers and key municipal services, including police and fire protection, public education, public works and the full range of community-based programs that support our economy,” the letter states.
The letter to the congressional delegation thanks them for their support of the state’s request for a presidential disaster declaration, which would pave the way for significant federal aid.
“We respectfully ask that you continue your advocacy,” the letter states. “Unless we receive substantial financial relief, the mounting red ink will force unusually high property tax increases, major cuts in vital public services, or both.”
The letter applauds the delegation for “requesting a declaration and financial relief not just for the January 27 blizzard, but also for the unprecedented series of major storms as a collective event.”
Typically, the Federal Emergency Management Agency helps with major, one-time events rather than a cumulative disaster, but the governor and the congressional delegation have asked federal officials to consider the relentless series of major snowstorms as one continuing event.
In the event of a disaster declaration, FEMA could reimburse state and local governments for 75 percent of their costs.
The two letters, sent on Tuesday, were signed by the members of the MMA Board of Directors as well as the state’s mayors.
The MMA is in the process of surveying every city and town to ascertain the financial impact of the harsh winter on local budgets. The association anticipates having the data collected by mid-March.
• Download MMA letter to state leaders requesting assistance with snow-removal deficits (84K PDF)
• Download MMA letter to the Massachusetts congressional delegation urging continued advocacy for federal storm assistance (84K PDF)
- Written by MMA Publications Editor & Web Director John Ouellette
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