Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Massachusetts Municipal Councillors’ Association held a webinar June 24 focused on the American Rescue Plan Act. Speakers included (clockwise from top left) Barnstable Public Works Director Dan Santos, MMA Legislative Analyst Jackie Lavender Bird, and MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith.
The Massachusetts Municipal Councillors’ Association held a webinar June 24 focused on the American Rescue Plan Act.
MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith provided an overview of the ARPA and how it affects cities and towns. He included a timeline for submitting for reimbursements as well as a primer on how funds would be distributed directly to 38 Metropolitan Cities (generally those with populations over 50,000) using the Community Development Block Grant formula and how it will be distributed through the state to the 313 non-entitlement communities.
Barnstable Public Works Director Dan Santos discussed water and sewer infrastructure projects. He recommends working closely with town or city leadership on a department capital plan and stressed that long-range planning is key to success with large projects.
Often, he said, a large, multiyear project may need to be broken up and budgeted in stages, which will likely be the case for ARPA-funded projects given the strict spending guidelines.
Both speakers’ presentations are available.
• ARPA Overview – Geoff Beckwith presentation (980K PDF)
• ARPA: Water and Sewer Information – Dan Santos presentation (800K PDF)