Measure Would Allow June Town Meetings
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Legislation sponsored by Rep. Denis E. Guyer, D-Dalton, and Stephen Kulik, D-Worthington, seeks to allow municipalities to hold town meetings in April, May or June, in an effort to ease the strain of quickly putting together town and school budgets.
On Tuesday, the bill — H1943 — moved to Gov. Deval Patrick's desk for a signature.
"This will take a lot of the anxiety away from local officials who have to scramble to get budgets done," said Guyer on Wednesday.
Guyer said the bill would allow towns to change their charters and move their town meetings later in the year so the funding numbers municipalities receive from the state are more accurate.
"The whole process would be moved up. Typically, by April, towns will have a better idea from the state legislature than they do in February," said Guyer. "It gives your board of selectmen more time."
Town and school officials have often been left in the dark when it comes to state aid, such as Chapter 70 education funding, when they're putting budgets together in February and March. The governor's budget, which usually comes out first, has been the yardstick for determining aid but that doesn't mean the figures will be the same by the time the House and Senate complete their versions.
Estimating that the bill would be signed into law within the next 10 days, Guyer said his experience as a selectman put him in a unique position to understand the challenges that face towns looking to put budgets together on unsure numbers.
Guyer is also a member of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, which heard the bill.
"I represent 21 towns and many had expressed frustration that they did not have sufficient financial information for the upcoming fiscal year to develop budgets that were realistic, said Guyer in a statement released Wednesday. "This bill buys towns a little extra time to put together the best municipal and school budgets possible."
Holding town meetings past the current limit of May could help towns trying to pin down accurate figures but could create a critical time crunch for those with controversial budgets. Municipalities have to have their budgets passed by June 30; the fiscal year starts July 1.
"What if you go to ask for an override and it gets shot down?" wondered Clarksburg Town Administrator Michael Canales, but added "it couldn't hurt to have the option."
On the Senate side, state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, who represents 48 municipalities, was instrumental in getting the bill pushed through that chamber.
"This is a simple measure that will have significant and lasting impacts on the ability of local officials to create fiscally-sound municipal budgets based on real revenue and Local Aid figures," said Downing.
