11 July, 2017
BOSTON– The Massachusetts Senate on Friday to approve a final $40.202B billion budget for Fiscal Year 2018. The budget makes reductions in spending from the originally proposed Senate budget due to revised revenue forecasts, but maintains a strong commitment to Chapter 70 education funding and preserving local aid to cities and towns.
Funding specific to MetroWest includes:
- $50,000 for Serenity House in Hopkinton
- $88K National Lancers in Framingham
- $250K Tempo Wayside Youth and Family Support
- $75,000 for a transportation program operated by SMOC to assist people in getting to work
- $100,000 for the 495/MetroWest Corridor Partnership, Inc.
- $100,000 for the United Way of Tri-County’s Call 2 Talk program
- $50,000 for a Commercial Driver’s License workforce program operated by the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority
- $100,000 for The Treehouse Foundation, Inc.for planning to replicate the Intergenerational Treehouse Community model in the MetroWest region
- $300,000 For the Ashland public Schools
- $50,000 for the removal of hazardous substances in Ashland
- $50,000 for the planning and design of a public safety building in Ashland
- $75,000 for Decisions at Every Turn Coalition
- $30,000 for a Complete Streets project in North Framingham
- $70,000 for upgrades to the Framingham History Center
- $75,000 for Framingham Downtown Renaissance, Inc.
- $300,000 for Framingham Public Schools to mitigate student overcrowding
- Authorization to conduct a feasibility study for a new MassBay campus to be located in the town of Framingham
- $100K Resiliency for Life program in the Framingham High School
- $25K Hoops and Homework
- $75,000 for The MetroWest Free Medical Program, Inc.
- $50,000 for the Holliston Drug and Alcohol Awareness Coalition
$50,000 for the Holliston School Substance Abuse Prevention program
- $100,000 for the Hopkinton Organizing for Prevention Program
- $30,000 for the Veterans Oral History Project at the Morse Institute Library
- $50,000 for the Family Promise MetroWest Homelessness Response Center
Chapter 70 Funding includes:
- $6,012,213 for Ashland Chapter 70 - $76,410 (1.3% ) increase over FY17 GAA
- $42,363,221 for Framingham Chapter 70 - $271,830 (0.6%) increase over FY17 GAA
- $7,441,480 for Holliston Chapter 70 - $78,360 (1.1%) increase over FY17 GAA
- $6,256,963 for Hopkinton Chapter 70 - $104,130 (1.7 %) increase over FY17 GAA
- $9,281,825 for Natick Chapter 70 - $163,980 (1.8%) increase over FY17 GAA
Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) includes:
- $1,350,948 for Ashland Unrestricted General Government Aid - $50,709 (3.9%) increase from FY17 GAA
- $9,938,983 for Framingham Unrestricted General Government Aid - $373,071 (3.9%) increase from FY17 GAA
- $1,547,029 for Holliston Unrestricted General Government Aid - $58,069 (3.9%) increase from FY17 GAA
- $784,762 for Hopkinton Unrestricted General Government Aid - $29,457 (3.9%) increase from FY17 GAA
- $3,806,809 for Natick Unrestricted General Government Aid - $142,893 (3.9%) increase from FY17 GAA
The FY 2018 conference committee report passed the Senate with a vote of 36 to 2. The budget will now go to Governor Baker for his signature.
