Local Aid

Local aid is lower now than it was in 2003. In Medford we are still $800,000 below 2003 levels and have lost 40 million in aid or assessments over that period. Malden is also suffering from budget shortfalls.

Local Aid Reduction Impact:

• Due to budget cuts Medford may have to layoff over 40 teachers and 6 Police Officers.
• Due to budget cuts Malden is considering the institution of a pay per trash bag fee.

Options to restore local aid include some combination of efficiency, increased revenues, and program cuts. My preference is to work those options in the order presented. We must first work to make government more efficient. Folks feel that we are not doing enough with the money we have and we need to prove that government can be a better steward of our money before asking for more.

Efficency

I believe the first step in creating a more efficient government is to make our government more transparent and through my work at openmass.org I have helped raise the level of transparency, but we still have a long way to go.

To help make government more efficient I would push for:

• Continued GIC and PRIT participation.
• Elimination of county government.
• Work to reform pensions.
• Explore the regionilization of services

Health care costs are continuing to break local and state budgets and we must do more to control these costs. Currently Senate President Murray has proposed new legislation that I support (SB 2660) to help contain these costs. SB 2660 has been engrossed in the Senate and is now before the committee on House Ways and Means.

Local Aid

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