Melrose Faces $427K Net Local Aid Cut in Senate Ways and Means Budget Proposal

Melrose would take a $427,161 net local aid cut in the Senate Ways and Means Committee's fiscal 2012 budget proposal, which is roughly the same cut the city takes in the already approved final House budget.

Released on Wednesday, the Senate Ways and Means budget is basically the same as the final House budget in terms of Melrose's local aid. The differences are:

• Almost $5,000 less in charter school tuition reimbursement, a total of $385,374. That's still roughly $65,000 more than in Gov. Deval Patrick's proposal, which was (but also has a lower charter school tuition assessment charged against the city).
• Approximately $8,700 for the Police Career Incentive program—known as the Quinn Bill—which gives bonuses to police officers with college degrees. The House budget eliminates any funding for that program, while in the governor's proposal, Melrose would receive $17,408.

On Monday, the Melrose Board of Aldermen approved next year's $62.9 million operating budget without any changes from the initial budget proposal filed by Mayor Rob Dolan in early April. After filing his proposal with the aldermen, Dolan said that his budget is based on a half-million dollar local aid cut.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee traditionally introduces its budget proposal last, before the Legislature hashes out a final version sent to the governor's desk for approval.

In terms of other state-funded programs, according to the non-partisan Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, the Senate Ways and Means budget "does not impose the deep cut to early intervention proposed by the Governor, and appears to fully fund the Commonwealth Care Bridge program to provide health insurance for certain legal immigrants (the House had only funded the program with enough funding for half a year). The SWM budget, however, does not propose restoring as much of the funding for the Special Education Circuit Breaker program as the Governor and the House had."

Below are the latest figures from the state Department of Revenue's Division of Local Services.

Melrose Fiscal 2012 Local Aid Estimates

FY2011 Cherry Sheet Estimate

FY2012 Governor’s Budget (H1)

FY2012 House Final Budget Proposal

FY2012 SWM Budget Proposal

Education:

  Chapter 70*

7,257,935

7,323,565

7,323,565

7,323,565

  School Transportation

0

0

0

0

  Charter Tuition Reimbursement

431,664

320,484

390,770

385,374

  Smart Growth School Reimbursement

0

0

0

0

Offset Receipts:

  School Lunch

11,279

12,885

12,885

12,885

  School Choice Receiving Tuition

0

0

0

0

Sub-Total, All Education Items

7,700,878

7,656,934

7,727,220

7,721,824

FY2011 Cherry Sheet Estimate

FY2012 Governor’s Budget (H1)

FY2012 House Final Budget Proposal

FY2012 SWM Budget Proposal

General Government:

  Unrestricted General Government Aid

4,337,759

4,024,121

4,024,121

4,024,121

  Local Share of Racing Taxes

0

0

0

0

  Regional Public Libraries

0

0

0

0

  Police Career Incentive

17,217

17,408

0

8,704

  Urban Renewal Projects

0

0

0

0

  Veterans’ Benefits

155,935

154,478

154,478

154,478

  State Owned Land

795

793

793

793

  Exemptions: Vets, Blind, Surviving Spouses 

  & Elderly

107,884

107,961

107,961

107,961

Offset Receipts:

  Public Libraries

25,738

25,864

25,864

25,864

Sub-Total, All General Government

4,645,328

4,330,625

4,313,217

4,321,921

Total Estimated Receipts

12,346,206

11,987,559

12,040,437

12,043,745

Melrose Fiscal 2012 State Assessments

FY2011 Cherry Sheet Estimate

FY2012 Governor’s Budget (H1)

FY2012 House Final Budget Proposal

FY2012 SWM Budget Proposal

County Assessments:

County Tax

0

0

0

0

Suffolk County Retirement

0

0

0

0

Sub-Total, County Assessments

   0

   0

   0

   0

State Assessments and Charges:

  Retired Employees Health Insurance

0

0

0

0

  Retired Teachers Health Insurance

0

0

0

0

  Mosquito Control Projects

0

0

0

0

  Air Pollution Districts

7,479

7,729

7,729

7,729

  Metropolitan Area Planning Council

8,052

8,243

8,243

8,243

  Old Colony Planning Council

0

0

0

0

  RMV Non-Renewal Surcharge

48,880

45,560

45,560

45,560

Sub-Total, State Assessments

64,411

61,532

61,532

61,532

FY2011 Cherry Sheet Estimate

FY2012 Governor’s Budget (H1)

FY2012 House Final Budget Proposal

FY2012 SWM Budget Proposal

Transportation Authorities:

  MBTA

544,756

544,237

544,237

544,237

  Boston Metro. Transit District

0

0

0

0

  Regional Transit

0

0

0

Sub-Total, Transportation Authorities

544,756

544,237

544,237

544,237

Annual Charges Against Receipts:

  Special Education

1,153

191

191

191

  STRAP Repayments

0

0

0

0

Sub-Total, Annual Charges

1,153

 191

 191

 191

FY2011 Cherry Sheet Estimate

FY2012 Governor’s Budget (H1)

FY2012 House Final Budget Proposal

FY2012 SWM Budget Proposal

Tuition Assessments

  School Choice Sending Tuition

0

0

0

0

  Charter School Sending Tuition

2,387,332

2,433,870

2,504,155

2,504,155

  Essex County Tech Sending Tuition

24,579

36,816

36,816

36,816

Sub-Total, Tuition Assessments

2,411,911

2,470,686

2,540,971

2,540,971

Total Estimated Charges

3,022,231

3,076,646

3,146,931

3,146,931