We appreciate your attention to the serious fiscal challenges facing our cities and towns, but unfortunately your Dec. 18 editorial, “State aid to municipalities should be distributed rationally,” gets mired in questions about how funds for essential, quality-of-life services would be distributed rather than addressing the reality that cities and towns have had to do more with less for two decades and badly need a lifeline.
Further, in citing our two recent reports, the editorial misrepresents our references to state investments in education aid. We did not “conveniently ignore” the state’s support for the Student Opportunity Act; it was explicitly addressed in our October analysis, “A Perfect Storm.”
The historic funding of the Student Opportunity Act has been greatly appreciated by school districts and students, but it does not help cities and towns provide other essential public services, including police, fire, EMS, public works, libraries, snowplowing, clean water, and much more. Our focus on unrestricted aid as an area of concern is intended to address a structural fiscal challenge within the context of important recent investments.
In Massachusetts, cities and towns have strictly limited options for revenue. Our December report, “Navigating the Storm,” offers practical solutions for addressing this complex environment.
Adam Chapdelaine
Executive director
Massachusetts Municipal Association
Boston