Cities and Towns in Massachusetts: Why Mass. Needs Casinos

How Bad is it in the Commonwealth?

We face financially starved cities and towns with increasing needs, unfunded state projects, crumbling infrastructure, and rising unemployment rates.  With a structural budget deficit of $1.3 billion, the Commonwealth needs another revenue stream to rejuvenate and expand our economy.

State Budget Crisis - With a $3.5 billion budget gap and numerous unfunded programs, the Legislature faces the hefty task of appropriating the state's limited funds and finding additional revenue streams.

High Property Taxes - Property taxes in Massachusetts are the 6th highest per capita in the country and it's clear that municipalities lack sufficient funds for their important needs.

Crumbling Infrastructure - The Massachusetts Transportation Finance Commission recently reported that 12% of our roads and bridges are structurally deficient and will cost $20 billion to fix, not including the amount needed for improvements and expansion.

Good Jobs Needed - Over the last 16 years, a substantial number of male workers with limited education in the prime of their working lives have fallen out of the labor force. In addition, immigrants lacking formal education and older workers have found it difficult to obtain gainful employment in Massachusetts. Since 2001, we have lost over 150,000 jobs; in the years from 2000 to 2005, we lost 233,000 residents to employment in other states. Ranking in the bottom 10% in the nation in job growth last year, Massachusetts cannot afford to lose anymore residents or workers to out-of-state jobs.

Public Revenues Needed - Since 2002, education spending is down by a half-billion dollars; meanwhile, cities and towns are cash-strapped, as revenue growth has barely kept pace with inflation.

Our Towns Face Tough Decisions 

Massachusetts needs an additional source of revenue to fund our state's important needs and must find a way to create jobs for the tens of thousands unemployed, many of whom have involuntarily fallen out of the labor force.

In Bellingham, town officials have discussed options for slashing $1.4 million from next year's budget. Among the cuts: $10,000 from the assessor's office, $2,850 from the town clerk's office, $10,000 from the Planning Board, $20,000 from the Zoning Board of Appeals, $150,000 from the Police Department, $60,000 from the Fire Department, $99,978 from the Highway Department, $49,418 from the Board of Health, and $70,000 from the library.

With the need to cut nearly $4 million from the preliminary municipal budget, Walpole officials have said the town will likely need to lay off at least 26 town workers. The town will also consider trash collection fees as a way to save on town expenditures - applying fees to trash service could potentially eliminate Walpole's $1.5 million solid waste budget.

In Brookline, a citizens committee appointed by selectmen is recommending that the town lay off 20 firefighters. The committee also recommended that the town outsource its trash collection and cut a fire engine from its fleet.Brookline is bracing for a $4 million deficit.

In Winthrop, which is facing $500,000 deficit, residents are outraged over a proposal to close the town's 100-year-old library and the senior center.