Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Dear Senator,
On behalf of the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, the Massachusetts Municipal Association strongly supports S. 2023, An Act Financing Improvements to the Commonwealth’s Transportation System. In particular, we loudly applaud the appropriation and bond authorization to provide $300 million in Chapter 90 funds for the next five fiscal years. These funds are desperately needed to maintain and repair local roads, and including Chapter 90 in S. 2023 is necessary to make certain that the funds can be released to cities and towns in time for the beginning of the construction season, which will start this spring.
We support amendment #213, filed by Senator Benjamin Downing, which would improve and make less costly to both state and local government the requirement in section 19 that cities and towns prepare a five-year plan for the use of Chapter 90 authorizations and allow the development of regional plans. We also support amendment #214, also filed by Senator Downing, which would add municipal representation to the special commission that would be established in section 22 to study metropolitan planning organizations.
Local officials across the state deeply appreciate your success in steering a record fiscal 2014 authorization of $300 million for Chapter 90 last year. We remain very disappointed in the Administration’s decision to withhold $100 million from cities and towns – the Legislature voted to fund Chapter 90 by a unanimous vote and provided a broad tax and revenue package to significantly increase transportation investments, and communities are dismayed that Chapter 90 has not yet received any portion of the additional revenues.
The MMA and local officials will continue to call on the Administration to release the full amount of Chapter 90 funding that is due cities and towns. The good news is that the Legislature’s fiscal 2014 authorization will remain on the books, which means that this Administration, or any future Administration, can decide to release the $100 million at any point. We are grateful that you and your colleagues are continuing to urge the Governor to provide the full $300 million to cities and towns, knowing that your advocacy and support is vitally important in this process.
In the meantime, we are also looking beyond the fiscal 2014 authorization, which is why swift enactment of this new Chapter 90 authorization is absolutely necessary. As you know, the passage of a bond bill (and the companion “terms” bill) requires a long journey along a very time-consuming pathway. Last year, this lengthy process, coupled with the debate over the transportation finance bill, resulted in the Governor delaying release of final Chapter 90 allocation letters until July 30, rather than the customary and statutory date of April 1. Provisional and contingent letters were sent in April and May, but these did not provide cities and towns with legal authorization to enter into road construction contracts or to start work. Missing the April 1 deadline shortened last year’s construction season and delayed important projects in every part of the state.
In order to avoid another frustrating and costly delay in the start of local road projects for the upcoming construction season, we respectfully and urgently ask that the Legislature complete action on the fiscal 2015 $300 million Chapter 90 bond authorization as soon as possible so that the measure is on the Governor’s desk before April 1. Otherwise, using history as a guide, the fiscal 2015 authorization would likely be delayed as well, which would therefore delay important projects, repairs and maintenance in virtually every city and town. It is this context that clearly underscores the importance a multi-year Chapter 90 bond bill, so cities and towns can know what the Chapter 90 authorization is over the long-term and plan more effectively. Further, S. 2023 takes the additional step of moving the official notification date in the future from April 1 to March 1 of each year, which will ensure that communities will have access to their Chapter 90 funds for the entire construction season.
Last year, the MMA released a report documenting that cities and towns across the state need to spend at least $562 million every year just to bring local roads into a state of good repair, the industry standard for ensuring well-maintained roads in good condition. Currently, municipalities spend far less because of inadequate resources and because, for most cities and towns, Chapter 90 is the only source of funds for road construction and repair. Funding the Chapter 90 program at $300 million annually, with an inflation-based adjustment, will close a portion of this huge gap.
We also note that the Chapter 90 program is the most effective and efficient way to ensure regional equity and regional access to the increased transportation tax revenues included in the final transportation finance bill, including the increase in the gas tax that was supported by the MMA. Chapter 90 shares transportation revenues in a fair way in every corner of the Commonwealth. Further, cities and towns face such a backlog of need that the increase will immediately result in visible and necessary construction and repair projects on local roads across Massachusetts.
Investing more in Chapter 90 funding to improve the quality of local roads will actually save taxpayers millions of dollars a year. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, once a local road is in a state of good repair, every dollar invested to keep it properly maintained will save $6 to $10 in avoided repair costs that become necessary to rebuild the road when it fails due to a lack of maintenance.
Looking ahead, we believe that the five-year, $300 million-a-year Chapter 90 authorization in S. 2023, which we hope will be indexed to grow with inflation during that time, is the best way to restore stability to this essential program and foster effective long-range planning and maximum efficiency. We thank you for the partnership with cities and towns that you have emphasized as you embrace this multi-year framework.
Thank you very much for your strong support for the Chapter 90 program. These funds are needed so that cities and towns can maintain and repair 30,000 miles of local roadways, a cornerstone of the state’s transportation infrastructure system. Passing S. 2023 now will inject vital funds into the local economy, create good jobs, and invest in a stronger future for Massachusetts.
Sincerely,
Geoffrey C. Beckwith
Executive Director, MMA