Walrath tells board she's optimistic
GMI
By Nan Shnitzler
Friday, February 11, 2005
Rep. Patricia Walrath brought an optimistic outlook to the Bolton Board of Selectmen Feb. 3 when she paid her annual visit to discuss budgets and review new legislation pertinent to the town. For fiscal 2006, she told the board to expect local aid to "maintain the status quo, at least."
Walrath said that Gov. Mitt Romney's budget, released Jan. 26, contained modest increases in education and lottery aid, but she cautioned, "The governor proposes; the legislature disposes. Don't take the governor's numbers as gospel."
State funding for education aid could be derailed by the outcome of a case pending in the Supreme Judicial Court regarding equitability of state education funding in lower-income districts, Walrath said.
Regionally, Walrath said the governor filed legislation last week to spend $261 million to expand and add jobs at Hanscom Air Force Base and the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick to counter efforts by the federal government to close the facilities. The Boston Globe reported Feb. 4 that if the state legislature passed the bill in a day so the proposed expansion could be included in a report to the Department of Defense.
School Building Assistance
Walrath brought the board up-to-date on school building assistance and public construction. School Building Assistance Reform created a dedicated fund outside the state budget to reimburse school building construction. Seed money for the fund came from the short-term budget surplus and one penny of the five cent sales tax. With the reform plan, school districts will receive state funds in a lump sum so they only have to borrow their own portion instead of the entire amount.
"Nashoba [Regional High School] got the entire $13 million state share up front," Walrath said. "It saves towns a lot in interest they'd have to pay." For now, there is a moratorium on new projects. When it is lifted in July 2007, the state will reimburse about 10 percent less than in the past, Walrath said.
Concurrent with school building assistance reform, construction reform legislation passed last July is expected to save communities time and money while increasing the quality of public construction. It provides for more robust construction oversight and penalties. "You get a better building for less money," Walrath said.
Community Preservation Act
Selectman Dick Heaton asked about the Community Preservation Act, M.G.L. Ch. 44B, legislation that provides state matching funds to municipalities that assess a small surcharge on real estate taxes. The resulting fund can be used to acquire open space, preserve historic property and create affordable housing. Walrath said the state has matched community-raised funds dollar for dollar for the past three years, but the healthy state fund is in danger of being raided by larger cities that need the money, but do not have the votes to pass the act. Bolton failed to pass the legislation in a vote a few years ago. Neighboring Stow and Harvard are community preservation towns.
Among the Acts of 2004 Walrath singled out were:
Chapter 81 amends M.G.L. Ch. 40 Sec. 8G, to clarify police officer indemnification during mutual aid calls.
Chapter 172 will establish new formulas for community policing grants from the federal government based on FBI crime reporting statistics. Funds already earmarked will be phased out by the 2008 fiscal year.
Chapter 191 amends Ch. 143 Sec. 6, for building owners to furnish floor plans to police and fire chiefs upon notice by building inspectors. This act was passed in response to the deadly Worcester warehouse fire in 1999.
Chapter 270 raises the penalties for drivers who injure pedestrians in crosswalks. It amends Ch. 89 Sec. 11.
Chapter 295 amends Ch. 60 Sec 2C to allow the financial officials of a municipality, such as tax collectors and accountants, to package receivables to sell to a third party to collect. The intent is expedited collection, Walrath said.
Chapter 304 was passed in the wake of the deadly nightclub fire in Rhode Island to beef up fire safety. As summarized by Walrath, it requires establishments that serve alcohol to submit to annual building code inspections and institutes new rules and tax credits for sprinkler installation. The lengthy legislation appropriates state funds for fire safety education and fire-fighting equipment.
Chapter 396 requires anyone operating a motorized scooter to have a driver's license, wear a helmet and operate during daylight hours only, among other rules. "Motorize scooters" are defined as any two-wheeled tandem or three-wheeled device, that has handlebars, designed to be stood or sat upon by the operator, powered by an electric or gas powered motor that is capable of propelling the device with or without human propulsion. The definition does not include a motorcycle or motorized bicycle or a three-wheeled motorized wheelchair.
Chapter 434 amends Ch.19A Sec 15 to add council on aging directors and outreach workers to the list of those who must report elder abuse to the Department of Elder Affairs.
Chapter 467 amends the minimum age of police officers from 19 to 21.
