MMA.ORG
By MMA President and Waltham City Councillor John McLaughlin, January 2025
Welcome to Connect 351, the MMA’s 46th annual conference, with an exciting new look and a new location! It’s great to be with you at this rebranded and record-breaking gathering.
It’s been an honor to serve as President of this great association over the past year, and to get an up close and personal view of all the MMA does to serve all of you. The Massachusetts Municipal Association is our advocate, our convener, our informer, and our friend.
2024 was a busy, and sometimes challenging, year, and I can attest that the MMA was active on a wide range of fronts that ultimately delivered funding as well as reforms that really make a difference in each of your communities.
While state revenue growth has slowed, cities and towns were still able to win a 3% increase in unrestricted general aid (UGGA) in the fiscal 2025 state budget, as well as a $309 million increase in Chapter 70 education aid and an increase in minimum new aid from $30 per student to $104 per student. The enacted budget also included $16 million in rural school aid and an additional $45 million for local road maintenance, among other local accounts.
The budget followed the signing in May of a transportation bond bill that provided $200 million for the essential Chapter 90 local road and bridge maintenance program, as well as $175 million for other local infrastructure programs.
In August, Gov. Maura Healey signed a $5 billion housing bond bill to promote housing production, with significant investments in the HousingWorks Infrastructure Program ($175 million) and innovative, sustainable and green housing initiatives ($275 million).
The $4 billion economic development package signed in November included $400 million for MassWorks grants for local infrastructure, $100 million for the Rural Development Fund, $150 million for the Public Library Construction Program, $100 million for grants through the Seaport Economic Council, and $200 million for the Clean Energy Investment Fund — all impactful programs for cities and towns.
Importantly, the economic development package included the largest reform of the Civil Service system in decades, significantly increasing hiring flexibility for Civil Service departments filling essential jobs in police and fire departments. A new “hybrid pathway” enables Civil Service departments to more easily identify candidates for municipal police and fire positions outside of the traditional process.
A federal funds bill signed in September offers up to $50 million for local matching funds, as well as technical assistance, representing just one facet of the Commonwealth’s concerted efforts to deliver federal grants and funding to Massachusetts and its cities and towns.
While the Municipal Empowerment Act — which the administration announced at this event last year — didn’t quite get over the finish line by the end of the legislative session, that advocacy effort is by no means over, and the MMA — and all of you, I hope — will be working hard to achieve enactment of a great package of municipal efficiencies and reforms this coming year. On that note, the MMA will be prioritizing permanent authorization for remote public meetings, which would continue a successful provision that was created out of necessity during the COVID pandemic.
Certainly, 2024 had its challenges — from the ongoing emergency shelter crisis to a drought and wildfires this past fall — but progress continues to be made, and the MMA always has a seat at the table for these important conversations.
The year ahead will be challenging, with escalating costs continuing to outpace state and local revenue growth, but you can count on the MMA fighting alongside you every step of the way.
On a daily basis, in the face of myriad challenges, all of you deliver the very best that local governments can do for residents and businesses all across this great Commonwealth. You do this with passion, integrity, hard work and creativity. I’m inspired by the important work you’re doing to support residents across Massachusetts.
We make progress and effect change by working together, across large cities and small towns. The MMA advocates on behalf of all of us at the State House for the funding and legislation needed to support strong communities and vibrant main streets. The MMA forms legislative positions and priorities with the input from your generous service on the MMA’s Board of Directors and the five MMA policy committees.
In addition to the many timely workshops available here at this conference, the MMA and its member organizations — representing select boards, mayors, town managers and administrators, councillors, and finance committees, as well as human resources professionals — hosted a broad range of educational opportunities — 44 in-person meetings and 50 pertinent webinars — specifically for municipal officials. The MMA also offers top-notch communications and information resources, including the MMA website, The Beacon, the Weekly Review email newsletter, the Mass Municipal Data Hub, and the updated, online Handbook for Massachusetts Select Board Members.
Recognizing the challenges you face in recruiting and retaining talented individuals to make city and town operations hum, the MMA continues its work to build the pipeline of qualified people for municipal positions. The MMA teamed up with Suffolk University a dozen years ago to offer professional development programs for municipal talent, and the partnership launched its fourth program in 2024 — a new Municipal Human Resources Seminar. The MMA also has a number of webinars devoted to professional development, including a Reframing Recruitment series. The MMA’s MassTown Careers website works to bring new people into local government careers.
I want to sincerely thank my predecessor, Lexington Select Board Member Jill Hai, who served so effectively as President of the MMA in 2023. At this meeting, I will be turning the presidency over to my esteemed colleague, Franklin Town Administrator Jamie Hellen, who will be officially elected on Saturday. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Jamie over this past year, and we are in very capable hands going forward.
Please enjoy the conference, and stop me if I’m nearby to say hello. The MMA’s annual conference is a great opportunity to get to know fellow public servants across our Commonwealth, and for sharing and learning together.
John McLaughlin
City Council President, Waltham
MMA President