Brings towns up to FY'11 local aid levels
October 27, 2011
BOSTON — House Ways and Means Committee Chairman, Brian Dempsey, said that the state will make additional local aid payments by the end of the month, as a result of recent higher than expected revenue collections. State Representative Jen Benson indicated that this will include an additional $394,910 for towns in the 37th Middlesex District.
"I am pleased that our economy is performing better than expected, allowing us to return additional revenue to our cities and towns," said Benson. "Our communities have faced severe budget cuts for the past few years and these unexpected funds will help them restore vital local services."
The additional $65 million in Unrestricted General Government Aid was originally held back due to concerns over the pace of revenue collections. The FY'12 budget included a provision to disburse these funds if the state met certain fiscal goals. As of October, the state has collected sufficient tax revenues to restore this funding. When the Office of the State Comptroller closes the state's finance books on October 31st, the Department of Revenue will formally recognize and distribute the local aid, bringing cities and towns back to FY'11 funding levels.
