Jones Local Aid Amendment Included in Final Budget

The following is an announcement from the office of Rep. Bradley Jones, Jr.:

State Representative Bradley H. Jones, Jr. is pleased to announce the inclusion of a Local Aid Amendment which, if implemented, stands to distribute up to $65 million in one-time funding to local cities and towns, into the final Fiscal Year 2012 budget.

Communities in Massachusetts will see local aid restored to last year’s levels through funds from reversions, if the Governor does not veto the section from the budget.

Having passed on a unanimous voice vote during the House budget debate in April, the amendment was later approved by a six-member, bi-partisan Conference Committee composed of House and Senate legislators. This marks the first time in over four years that a Republican-offered amendment has been included in the final version of the state budget.

The Local Aid amendment stands to distribute unused funding from Fiscal Year 2011 back to cities and towns. Using the Lottery formula, the Local Aid amendment will allow half of the Commonwealth’s reversions, up to $65 million, to be distributed to municipalities by October 31, 2011.

“At a time where Local Aid has been consistently cut, I strongly urge the Governor to sign this amendment into law, thus putting the needs of municipalities first and foremost.” said House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. “I am pleased that the members of the bi-partisan Conference Committee have afforded our municipalities the opportunity to alleviate the financial burden of the past three fiscal years.”

Historically, reversions to the General Fund have averaged approximately $150-$200 million per fiscal year. The final version of the budget is currently before the Governor for his review.