Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The top two priorities focus on money for schools and roads.
When Board Chairman William Pantazis thanked Northborough's legislators for visiting its meeting on Monday, he added that he appreciated having the chance for the town to "put them on the grill." And while on that grill on Monday night, at no point did the flames heat up the grid more than during the discussion about prevailing wages and municipal construction laws. It wasn't one of Northborough's two top priorities for its annual "legislative top priorities list," but it was among bulleted list of eight items that it asked state Sen. Harriette Chandler, state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, state Rep. Harold Naughton and state Rep. Danielle Gregoire to turn its concerns if possible. Modernizing procurement and public construction laws has been a …
Friday, March 8, 2013
Each year, Northborough issues its list of "legislative priorities." On Monday, the board calls in the legislators to take about that list.
The town is asking to restore Circuit Breaker Funding and reauthorize Chapter 90 funds for FY2014. One reimburses high cost special education programs for schools, and the other helps alleviate the costs associated with maintaining the roads. Those are the two priorities in Northborough's now-annual "Legislative Priorities" letter, which it addresses to the Gov. Deval Patrick's office, as well as local reprentatives. Northborough sends the letter to legislators, and invites them to sit with the Board of Selectmen, and anyone who wants to attend the open meeting. These legislators will do so on Monday, March 11, at 7 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room at the Town Hall. Sen. James Eldridge, Sen. Harriette Chandler, state Rep. Danielle …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The town's administration submitted its list of priorities for the legislature for fiscal 2014.
Restore the Circuit-Breaker funding. That's tops in Northborough's annual "State Legislative Issues" list for FY2014. In a letter sent to Gov. Deval Patrick and local legislative representatives and senators, this top priority mirrors Northborough's top concern last year, which is to restore this program that reimburses school districts that are mandated to provide high-cost programs for special education students. As it states in the letter, cuts to this program in the last three fiscal years left reimbursement rates ranging from 40 to 60 percent. In FY2010, these cuts translated into a loss of about $475,000, and in 2011, this loss exceeded $500,000. "This is a significant amount of money for the K-8 schools," said Town Administrator …
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
State representatives visited the Board of Selectmen to discuss the town's annual priority list. Money for special education and roads tops this year's list.
To avoid having important issues get bogged down in a sea of requests, Northborough has taken to—for the past four years or so—creating a "legislative list of priorities." During the budgeting season each year, the Board of Selectmen and administration fine tunes a list of what they deem the most important for the town in order. They compile a detailed letter, mail it off to the town's representatives and senators, and organize a sit-down, which happened at the board meeting on Monday night. Sens. Jamie Eldridge and Harriette Chandler joined soon-to-be Northborough's state Rep. Steven Levy and Chief of Staff Susan Templeton, who sat in for Harold Naughton (presently serving in Afghanistan). This year, as with previous years, restoring the …
Thursday, February 16, 2012
The town administration, committees and boards have drafted a letter to share with legislators. They call it a list of priorities.
The town of Northborough has drafted a letter that will be sent, soon, to Governor Deval Patrick that outlines the priorities it has. To streamline and focus its efforts, the town implemented this approach four years ago. The letter acts as a bridge to the local legislators, which the town will meet with to discuss the priorities. Though some of the members of the Board of Selectmen are critical that the legislators listen and act upon the requests, Town Administrator John Coderre said the process has had better effects at a town level in turning up the volume on the voice of Northborough. The letter, which begins, "I respectfully request your support for several legislative reform initiatives, outlined in the attached, that could prove …
Postman
11:04 am on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
This is absurd! Massachusetts politics at it's best. I am so sick of unions and their influence around here. At least Amberson has his head screwed on right. Eldridge responded that "philosophically speaking, the idea is that it raises the living wage and then has an effect throughout the region. Government having a lead on that raises the wages all around. Part of the mission of government is to… more ›