MassBudget: Brief overview of the Legislature's budget for 2018

MassBudget Information. Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center Democracy. Brief Overview of the Legislature's Budget for Fiscal Year 2018    On Friday the Legislature enacted a Fiscal Year 2018 (FY 2018) budget that assumes less revenue will be available than initially projected and accordingly provides less in funding than the budgets approved by both the House and Senate. The state budget is how our government sets funding levels for everything that we pay for through our state government: local services and transportation infrastructure; our schools, colleges, and universities; child care, job training, and other work supports; enforcement of laws that keep our communities safe and our air and water clean; a safety net for when we face hard times; and other basic services that improve the quality of life in our Commonwealth. The Legislature's budget eliminated some modest proposed funding increases (such as the 3 percent increase in higher education funding in the Senate budget) and reduced funding to levels below both the House and Senate proposals in other cases. For instance, disability services receives about $26 million less than the amounts proposed by the House and Senate, although more than FY 2017 funding levels. This budget also relies more on temporary revenue than the original House and Senate budgets. It includes a provision to count as revenue $205 million that the Legislature hopes will be left over in various accounts at the end of FY 2018 (this revenue source is called "reversions" because it is money that would ordinarily revert to the General Fund if not spent on the purposes for which it was appropriated). Recognizing that this budget underfunds a number of accounts, budget writers create a new reserve account that sets aside $104.1 million in contingency funds for several accounts: sheriffs, public defenders, and transportation (the account for paying the cost of removing snow and ice from roads is underfunded). MassBudget's Budget Browser shows the funding levels for each line item and budget category for the budget enacted by the Legislature, along with the proposals by the House and Senate and the Governor. The Budget Browser also provides historic funding levels for each account. MassBudget's Children's Budget provides additional information about each program in the state budget that serves children. After the Governor signs the budget and makes his vetoes, MassBudget will produce a complete Budget Monitor examining each major section of the budget. The bullets below provide a brief summary of significant elements of the budget enacted by the Legislature. Education:  The Legislature's budget provides a modest increase above FY 2017 levels in funding for early education and care, with new funding dedicated to increase the rates paid to providers of care. The budget provides a 2.6 percent increase from FY 2017 in Chapter 70 Local Aid for Education. It provides less funding, however, for building schools than was included in the House and Senate budgets because this funding is set at a portion of sales tax receipts and the Conference Committee adopted a lower projection of such receipts. The Legislature's higher education budget for FY 2018 comes in at $7.5 million, or 0.6 percent, above FY 2017 levels, which is not enough to keep up with inflation. This is $35.1 million, or 2.9 percent, below the Senate's proposed FY 2018 allocation and $5.2 million, or 0.5 percent, below the House's proposed FY 2018 allocation. While the Senate's higher education budget would have made tuition and fee increases less likely, the Conference Budget, which hews more closely to the House proposal, makes these increases more likely. The House had approved $96.6 million in funding for the State Scholarship Program; the Senate $96.9 million. The conference budget comes in below both the House and Senate proposals, at $95.9 million -- 0.2 percent above FY 2017 levels. Housing: The Legislature's budget for the Emergency Assistance (EA) shelter program for low-income, homeless families is $155.9 million, which is level with the House's recommendation and $10.2 million below the amount recommended by the Senate. The Senate allocation for this program was expected to meet projected caseload levels for FY 2018. By adopting the lower level in its final budget, it is likely that the Legislature will need to provide supplemental funding for this program over the course of FY 2018.  The Legislature's budget provides $92.7 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) rather than the $100 million that both chambers approved in their respective budgets. Both chambers estimated that this higher funding level would have created 300-400 new vouchers for low-income renters. The Legislature's budget also increased the amount of income that low-wage renters can earn before they lose their vouchers.    Human Services: The Legislature reduced funding below the levels proposed by the House and Senate for many of the line items that help support and stabilize families involved in the state's child welfare system, most notably cutting supports for adoption and foster care services to $568.8 million, over $4 million below the amount proposed by either the House or the Senate. The total for the line items funding caseworker support stayed steady at $240.0 million. This total is $13.6 million, or 6 percent, above FY 2017 funding. There is also language in the budget creating an identification card for caseworkers and protections for caseworkers from being asked to share information such as home addresses or personal telephone numbers while on the job. Total funding for disability services, elder services, and juvenile justice programs is below both the House and Senate proposals, but marginally higher than current FY 2017 levels (between 2 to 4 percent). Disability services, in particular, receive the largest decline from House and Senate proposals, $25.6 million and $26.7 million, respectively, due to various cuts across most services. For transitional assistance programs, funding is level with House and Senate proposals and 5 percent below FY 2017 levels. The reduction is largely because of anticipated caseload declines. Law and Public Safety: The major story in law and public safety is that the Legislature underfunds two significant accounts. This budget provides $44.6 million less in funding for sheriffs than the state expects it will need and $45.9 million less for Private Counsel Compensation (PCC) than will likely be needed. As noted in the introduction, the Legislature has included a reserve account of $104.1 million that could be used to supplement funding for, among other items, the sheriffs and PCC accounts.  Mental Health: The Legislature's budget reduced several line items within the Department of Mental Health below levels proposed by the House or the Senate. For example, adult mental health receives $387.1 million, $1.3 million less than the House or Senate proposals. Child and adolescent services, receive $91.7 million including expanded case management services for young adults, and $3.7 million for the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project (MCPAP). This funding also includes the MCPAP for Moms program to screen for postpartum depression and directs MCPAP to report on care coordination and on recommendations for expanding the reach of the program. MassHealth: The Legislature's FY 2018 MassHealth budget includes $16.20 billion for the MassHealth program, $260.1 million below the Senate, and $311.7 million below the House. Most notably, the Fee-for-Service line items are $241.7 million below the Senate, and $267.6 million below the House. The Legislature states that the program will see $150 million (presumably net of reduced federal reimbursements) in savings under this budget, "...related to caseload, program integrity and other efficiencies." These efforts would likely include maximizing the use of the MassHealth Premium Assistance Program when it is in the financial interest of the state to do so, and also enacting stricter requirements for enrollment and redetermination procedures. Although the Governor had proposed a variety of MassHealth reforms towards the end of the Conference Committee deliberation process, the Legislature did not include them in the budget proposal. These reforms would have involved new federal Medicaid waiver changes, changes to eligibility and benefits, and reforms to the commercial health insurance market. The Legislature included language that creates a new two-tiered Employer Medical Assistance Contribution (EMAC). This budget increases the EMAC by $26 per employee and assesses a $750 fee for each employee receiving publicly-subsidized health care either through MassHealth or through ConnectorCare. This proposal would generate $200 million in revenue. At the same time, the Legislature proposes changing the unemployment insurance schedule, which would allow employers to pay $334 million less than under the current schedule. Transportation: The Legislature reduces funding to the Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund (MTTF) by $39.7 million compared to the FY 2017 budget. But, for the most part, this will likely not turn out to be a cut. The Legislature appears to be significantly underfunding the account for potential snow and ice removal costs. This reduction is likely to be largely offset by the Legislature's new contingency fund created for underfunded accounts. The Legislature's budget reduces funding for the state's 15 Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) to $80.4 million in FY 2018, which is below the House and Senate recommendations and the $82.0 million the RTAs received in both FY 2017 and FY 2016. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, 15 Court Square, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02108 Sent by nberger@massbudget.org in collaboration with Try it free today link to Senate Fiscal Year 2018 Budget

In the News: Ahern making connections; Library brick sale; DelCarte pond treatment

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Sara Ahern officially took over the reins on July 1 as the town’s newest school superintendent. 

After a week at the helm, Ahern said, the first order of business is to create connections. 

“Working to establish relationships is imperative, the work of the schools is dependent on building strong, fundamental relationships,” said Ahern, who replaced the retired Maureen Sabolinski. “I want to develop those relationships by being present, listening and sharing information about myself to the community.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://franklin.wickedlocal.com/news/20170707/new-franklin-schools-chief-starts-connecting

"The Friends of the Franklin Library are currently in the middle of a fundraising effort and selling personalized bricks as part of the ongoing library renovation and construction project. The bricks will be placed in a new patio located in front of the building’s School Street entrance and ready for use once the project is complete this fall. 

“The patio will be available for patrons to use; to sit outside in nice weather, to talk, attend a program or use available WiFi,” said former FoFL President Maria Lucier. “There will be benches, tables with umbrellas and plantings. We envision it will be a relaxing place to sit, visit and read.” 

When seeking out ways to raise money, Lucier said, she and fellow member Joseph Mullen took a trip to the McAuliffe Library in Framingham to view that building’s newly installed brick patio."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170712/friends-of-franklin-library-selling-bricks-to-benefit-construction-project

the new wing of the Library under construction

"The ponds at the DelCarte Conservation Property will be closed on Thursday in order for the town to perform a follow-up water treatment to combat the invasive plants in the ponds. 

The treatment was supposed to take place last Friday, but due to rain was delayed. If it rains again Thursday, the treatment will again be delayed as it will interfere with the process. 

In a release put out by the town, the pond will be closed for fishing and canoeing for 24 hours, but the rest of the area remains open for hiking and other recreational activities."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170712/franklin-delcarte-ponds-closed-thursday-for-treatment

Live Reporting: Legislation through to Closing

I. Subcommittee Reports	I. Subcommittee Reports Library progress underway EDC attempting to fix old zoning
J. Legislation for Action	1. Resolution 17- 48: Ratification of Town Administrator's Contract (Motion to Move Resolution 17-48 - majority vote (5)) motion approve, seconded, passed 9-0 (via roll call) 2. Resolution 17- 49: Acceptance of Gift - Franklin Fire Department (Motion to Move Resolution 17-49 - majority vote (5)) motion approve, seconded, passed 9-0 (via roll call)
K. Town Administrators Report	K. Town Administrator's Report thanks to Roy, Spilka, and Ross for $65K grant on fire fighters hearing $200K grant for fire fighters thank for the experience to work here, it has been wonderful
L. Future Agenda Items	L. Future Agenda Items Bissanti/Dellorco - what's with the issue Debbie Murphy raised, per J Nutting it is completely a private property matter
M. Council Comments	M. Council Comments Padula - read Franklin Police Chief letter from May 26 (The text can be found here http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/05/letter-from-chief-lynch-to-community-of.html) Jones - thanks for the new group on the 4th of July celebration Dellorco - condolences to the Ramani family Bissanti - enjoy the summer Mercer - all set Kelly - Condolences to Jamie Hellen on the passing of his grandfather
N. Executive Session	N. Executive Session not required
O. Adjourn	O. Adjourn passed 9-0 via roll call

Live reporting: SAFE Coalition - presentation

H. Presentations/Discussions

H. Presentation/Discussions Safe Coalition

SAFE Coalition presentation to Town Council, July 12, 2017

Rep Jeff Roy, 

Councilor Bob Dellorco

Dr Jordan Warnick

Jennifer Knight-Levine

Jim Derick

In May of 2015 Franklin had no resources

1st responders are now equipped with NARCAN

legislation passed, more work to be accomplished

"We have come along way, we still have a lot to do"

3 new members for the Board as of today

linked with all the community stakeholders, non-profit orgs, churches, District Court, etc.

(will add presentation copy to this later)

SAFE Coalition - July 12, 2017 from Franklin Matters

largest national epidemic

no one taking a street drug should feel safe, and with fentenyl, it is now more lethal

Franklin among the hardest hit communities in MA

Franklin Police provides updated stats on the effects here 

http://www.franklinma.gov/police-department/pages/opioidoverdose-tracking

Jim acknowledges as a Franklin resident with a family member he has experienced the issues directly.

over 125 supported via the Support Line  (508-488 8105)

Mike Zito - recover focused event at THE BLACK BOX

Chris Herren at FHS

Dr John Kelly at FHS

"Four Legs to Stand On" at THE BLACK BOX

video series via local cable (and via YouTube)

present on Internet, Facebook, Twitter

http://safecoalitionma.com/

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCldRbvq5nYYkDWyYNB4RYHA

NARCAN training offered in Feb and Apr

Dr Ruth Potee, speaker based in Western MA, spoke in Franklin and elsewhere in MA

Derek Getchell, former FHS student and athlete

2 students from the Peer to Peer group worked with SAFE as part of their Senior Project

1st Annual 5K race raised over $2400 with 140 runners

2nd Annual Golf Tournament

Dellorco - this group is tremendous, we are lucky to have Rep Roy working with us

Thanks to Jeff Nutting for his help guiding us in using the recent State grant

Bissanti - this group is for real, they are there when you need them. You need to understand the tentacles of drug addiction and what it can do to a family

Jones - we appreciate the effort, I have been to many of the events you have hosted. I hope it is making some impact. 

the dose of NARCAN is higher than what it was a couple of months ago

it is a short term effect and if not applied in the right time doesn't help

it is a cycle between addition, high and recovery; we need to break the cycle

"addicts are no longer trying to get high, they are trying to avoid getting sick"

"we learn from people like Derrick to know what it is like"

"we are treating a disease, getting people over the hump is a tremendous hurdle"

multi-headed effort required, need to address some of the root cause availability of the drugs

so much of the overdoses are on prescription medications

what is it for, why do I need to be on it?

medication disposal is also needed, 2 easy at home ways from MA Dept of Health (look for link) 

Strengthened the prescription monitoring program, allows for an overview of what is being issued to patients; state spent 3M to upgrade system and make it mandatory for use to distribute prescriptions; legislation is pending to provide a penalty for non compliance

lowered default prescription dosage

working with MIAA, to address the student athlete who get prescriptions

need to get early education and get it all the way through high school

Live reporting: Town Council - July 12, 2017

Present: Pellegri, Padula, Vallee, Kelly, Pfeffer, Bissanti, Dellorco, Jones, Mercer (via remote connection)
Absent: none

A. Approval of Minutes	A. Approval of Minutes
B. Announcements	B. Announcements - 1. This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast Channel 11 and Verizon channel 29. This meeting may also be recorded by others.
C. Proclamations/Recognitions	C. Proclamations/Recognitions
D. Citizen Comments	D. Citizen Comments - Citizens are welcome to express their views for up to five minutes on a matter that is not on the Agenda. The Council will not engage in a dialogue or comment on a matter raised during Citizen Comments.  The Town Council will give remarks appropriate consideration and may ask the Town Administrator to review the matter. none
E. Appointments	E. Appointments - Conservation Commission Staci Dooney motion to approve, seconded, passed 9-0 (via roll call
F. Hearings	F. Hearings none
G. License Transactions	G. License Transactions none
H. Presentations/Discussions	H. Presentation/Discussions Richard Henden - The Schochet Company Safe Coalition

Richard Henden - The Schochet Company

owners, manager, developers of apartments mostly subsidized

new owner of Glen Meadow apartments as of May 30

chapter 40T, right of first refusal on affordable properties

offer made, deemed to low, got a market offer, and matched via the State

25% of the units will be affordable

80% of the market rate

now back over the 10%

thrilled of being able to help, have compliance obligations to certify residents, etc.

better tenant management, better property management

landscaping etc.

a forty year note to maintain affordability, buyer would still be bound to maintain

as mentioned we are in the affordable business so we intend to stay

DelCarte Ponds - Treatment Notification - Thursday, July 13th

Treatment of the invasive plants at the DelCarte Ponds will be 7/13/17 subject to the weather. (It can't be a rainy day.) 

The pond will be closed for fishing, canoeing etc. for 24 hours, but the rest of the area for hiking etc. will be open.

Read more: http://www.franklinma.gov/node/133653

This is an automatic message from Town of Franklin MA


Note: yet again, I think they need to do a better job planning to go with the forecast rather than pick a day when it is likely to rain. There was at least one treatment applied.

the main pond at DelCarte Recreation area

notification of treatment applied in June

Open Positions - Franklin Town Election - Nov 7, 2017

As announced by the Franklin Town Clerk, the biannual election is scheduled for November 7, 2017. The whole set of School Committee and Town Council membership is up for election. All other board/committee elected positions fulfill staggered terms to ensure some continuity. Yes, it would make sense that for continuity sake and the institutional knowledge that could be lost both the Town Council and School Committee should also be staggered terms but they are not. That has been the will of the Franklin voters.

The new Town of Franklin webpage shows the open or vacant positions appointed or elected. To save some time, I have captured a screenshot for each of the boards/committee with elected positions this November.

If you want to get started volunteering on a board or committee that is appointed rather than elected, there are several current openings as shown below.

You can inquire on this page and check the ‘vacant’ box to get the current info

http://franklinmaboards.vt-s.net/boards.php

Add caption

Board of Assessors

Open Positions - Franklin Town Election - Board of Assessors

Board of Health

Open Positions - Franklin Town Election - Board of Health

Planning Board

Open Positions - Franklin Town Election - Planning Board

School Committee

Open Positions - Franklin Town Election - School Committee

Town Council

Open Positions - Franklin Town Election - Town Council

Franklin Public Library: Bubble Show with Millie - July 12

Bubble Show with Millie!, Wednesday, July 12, 1:00 p.m.

Franklin Public Library: Bubble Show with Millie - July 11

This was shared from the Franklin Library page
http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2017/07/bubble-show-with-millie-wednesday-july.html

Check out the Library newsletter for July to see all that is scheduled for the month
http://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/news/july2017librarynewsletter.pdf

Check out the Summer Program Flyer  
http://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/news/childrens-summer-programs-2017

Franklin: Biennial Town Election – November 7th, 2017

Teresa Burr, Franklin Town Clerk, has just posted the open positions for the up coming biannual election for Franklin.

The following positions are available in the Biennial Town Election to being held Tuesday, November 7th 2017

• Board Of Assessors  (1)
• Board Of Health  (1)
• Planning Board (3)
• School Committee  (7)
• Town Council  (9)

Nomination papers will be available beginning Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at the Town Clerk’s Office. 

Please call Teresa M. Burr, Town Clerk with any questions, (508) 520-4900

This was shared from the Town of Franklin page
http://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/2017-biennial-town-election-november-7-2017

Work underway on Chestnut St to add a sidewalk as approved
by the Town Council after years of discussion and planning.