Montague Finance Committee member Michael Naughton, incoming Rep. Solomon Goldstein-Rose of Amherst, and Wilbraham Select Board Chair Susan Bunnell in Amherst.
More than 200 legislators and local officials gathered in nine communities across the Commonwealth this fall to discuss matters concerning cities and towns during the MMA’s Legislative Breakfast Meetings.
The biannual meetings are held every spring and fall as a way for local officials to have face-to-face conversations with their legislators and MMA staff to discuss pressing issues.
This fall, breakfasts were held in Amherst, Boxborough and Sutton on Sept. 30; Bridgewater, Gardner and Wellesley on Oct. 7; and Amesbury, Fairhaven and North Adams on Oct. 14.
Each breakfast began with a legislative update from the MMA, where staff updated local officials on the status of state finances and the fiscal 2016 and 2017 revenue gaps, upcoming Chapter 90 advocacy with the administration, changes coming with the “municipal modernization” act, and funding available for small bridges.
MMA staff also spoke about the public records law to make sure that local governments are ready for new rules that will go into effect on Jan. 1.
At the Wellesley meeting, Norwood Police Chief William Brooks and Natick Chief James Hicks spoke to attendees about the need to improve the system for training police officers, including programs for new officers and in-service training.
In Fairhaven, MMA staff engaged in conversation about what kind of planning and capital investments cities and towns are making in anticipation of the impact of climate change, especially in coastal areas.
Attendees also discussed the upcoming ballot questions and their potential impacts on local government. The MMA has taken positions on two of the four questions on the ballot in November, but all questions were discussed at the breakfast meetings. Local officials expressed concerns about the unfunded mandates that the ballot questions could pass on to cities and towns, especially school budgets.
In Amherst, both retiring Rep. Ellen Story and presumptive Rep.-elect Solomon Goldstein-Rose were present. Attendees were able to thank Rep. Story for her service to municipalities.
To date, the MMA has hosted 174 breakfast meetings in 164 communities since 2007 with a goal of hosting meetings in all 351 cities and towns. If your community has not hosted a Legislative Breakfast and would like to, contact Vanessa Calaban at vcalaban@mma.org or (617) 426-7272, ext. 121.
