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The governor's bill would 'tweak' the apportionment formula on the extra $100 million she's budgeting to provide more funding for small towns with less population.

Chapter 90 Bond Bill Could Bring $5.3M to Berkshire Communities

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Berkshires could receive more than $5.3 million in additional state Chapter 90 road funds in a new bond bill. 
 
Gov. Maura Healey filed the bill last Friday, authorizing the borrowing of $1.5 billion over the next five years for local transportation networks. The bill includes another $100 million in Chapter 90, a 50 percent increase. 
 
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll on Saturday noted the total amount will be $300 million, the highest amount of Chapter 90 that's been proposed.
 
"That $100 million topper is going to have a slightly different formula that's really more focused on road miles," she said to applause at the Massachusetts Municipal Association's Connect 351 conference in Boston. "Right now, the formula looks at a whole lot of things, including population, and some of our smaller communities that have lots of roads, but maybe not as many people are kind of penalized in that formula. 
 
"Don't worry, everybody's getting a lot of money within the formula. But there's a slight tweak on that top $100 million."
 
The governor's budget will use Fair Share surtax revenues to expand capital capacity, enabling $300 million in annual Chapter 90 funds, a 50 percent increase over the traditional $200 million.  
 
The current formula for state aid considers local road mileage at 58.33 percent, population and employment at 20.83 percent each to calculate funding awards. 
 
Adams, for example, has 55.84 miles of road with a population of 8,166 and employment is 1,712. Based on the total amount of funding approved for fiscal 2025, the town received $284,946. The bill filed by the governor would give the town another $185,513 for a total of $471,000, a 65 percent increase.
 
North Adams would see a 57 percent increase in funds for total of $649,273; Pittsfield, which regularly commands the most funding in the Berkshires because of its size, would get $652,000 for a total of nearly $2 million at the lowest percentage increase of 49. 
 
The "tweaked" calculation would greatly benefit smaller towns, almost doubling their funding. Tiny Alford with its 17 miles and population of 486 would see its funding jump from $71,000 to $128,000 and New Ashford, with less than 11 miles, would go from $42,533 to $77,468.
 
The towns of Mount Washington, Sandisfield, Savoy and Windsor would see the highest percentage increase, at 84 percent. All told, they have 210 miles of road for a population of 2,625. Together, they average 12.5 residents per mile compared to Pittsfield's 224 residents per mile. 
 
Even with these extra funds, towns are often strapped when it comes to road maintenance and repair — reconstructing a mile of road is upwards of $1 million nowadays. 
 
But the administration is also seeking additional money for culverts, said Driscoll, "things that we know impact roadways and are hard to fund. Those Chapter 90 tend to go to the road, but not the culvert underneath."
 


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North Adams Council Gets Update on Youth Commission, OKs Police Grant

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The revived Youth Commission is hoping to be more proactive in focusing on the needs of the city's younger population. 
 
"Our current focuses at the moment are to reset our mission statements, from the last in statement of the Youth Mission, which was simply more of a reactive board, to when City Council needed approval and advisement on youth-related legislation," the commission's co-Chair Vane Jacobs told the councilors at their Tuesday meeting. "Our goal, coming back into the commission, is to become a proactive board with the goal to advance infrastructure and activities for the youth of North Adams and Northern Berkshire."
 
Jacobs, the youth co-chair, had been asked to present information on the objectives of the commission by Mayor Jennifer Macksey, who did not attend the meeting. 
 
The long-dormant commission was resurrected last year, with its organizational meeting held in July. Jacobs was voted as the youth chair and Cody Chamberlain, a member of the School Committee, as the adult chair. 
 
The commission was first established in 2010 and updated 2021 as a way for the city's youth to communicate with and advise the City Council and mayor. It consists of nine voting members, of which six must be between the ages of 13 and 22, and three adults. They are appointed by the mayor with approval of the council. 
 
"We are trying our best to focus on the future, instead of staying on the past and the present," said Jacobs. "The duty of the adult members to assist the youth members on the political buzzwords and the political environment, even at such a small scale."
 
The commission is working on grant writing to access some opportunities and activities for the city's youth, especially during the summer months. 
 
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