Municipal leaders urge passage of economic aid bills

Fifty-three municipal officials representing cities and towns throughout Massachusetts signed on to a letter urging the Legislature to pass economic relief measures for small businesses, restaurants and their employees at this critical time.

The Dec. 17 letter comes after several communities rolled back to earlier stages of the Commonwealth’s reopening plan this week in order to curb the transmission of COVID-19 in their communities.

The House and Senate have a couple economic relief options before them for consideration:
• An economic development bond bill, which includes grants and loans to help small businesses bridge the gap to recovery
• A fiscal 2021 supplemental budget filed by Gov. Charlie Baker, which requests an additional $49 million in small business support

Municipal leaders are calling on the Legislature to pass these measures, and to review other creative funding mechanisms that would support small businesses, employees and restaurants.

“Cities and towns are on the front lines dealing with two emergencies – protecting the public from the deadly coronavirus threat and providing a lifeline to the local businesses that have been hammered by the COVID recession,” said MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith. “Communities need assistance from our partners in state government, and we are urgently asking for immediate passage of the tools and resources in the economic development and budget bills, so that local leaders can protect our citizens, shore up our economy, and ensure a swift recovery for everyone.”