Greater Boston Municipal Leaders Call For Regional Ballot Initiatives, Value Capture

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Greater Boston Municipal Leaders Call for Regional Ballot Initiatives, Value Capture

For immediate release: Wednesday, July 29

Three broad coalitions of municipal officials from throughout Greater Boston called on legislators to allow municipal revenue-raising tools that are heavily used in other states.

The leaders of the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition, North Shore Coalition and Commuter Rail Communities Coalition called on the conference committee reconciling the transportation bond bill to adopt regional ballot initiatives and value capture in the final bill.

"These two provisions would give cities and towns the opportunity to invest local money in local and regional transportation priorities. For municipal governments to be empowered to contribute to sustainable, long-term improvements to our transportation system, all resources that would help us invest in our communities need to be on the table," said the letter sent to the conference committee by Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, Lynn Mayor Thomas M. McGee and Bedford Town Manager Sarah Stanton.

Massachusetts is one of nine states in the country that does not allow cities and towns to raise money locally to invest in local projects.

Click Here to Read the Full Letter
The Metro Mayors Coalition, chaired by Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone is a group of 15 cities and towns in the urban core of Metro Boston: Arlington, Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Newton, Quincy, Revere, Somerville and Winthrop. Learn more: www.mapc.org/get-involved/coalitions/mmc/
The North Shore Coalition, chaired by Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, is a group of 18 cities and towns on the North Shore of Metro Boston: Beverly, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Ipswich, Lynn, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Middleton, Nahant, Peabody, Rockport, Salem, Saugus, Swampscott, Topsfield and Wenham. Learn more: www.mapc.org/get-involved/coalitions/north-shore-coalition
The Commuter Rail Communities Coalition, co-chaired by Lynn Mayor Thomas M. McGee and Bedford Town Manager Sarah Stanton, is an alliance of mayors, managers and administrators that seeks to identify concerns and ideas on commuter rail issues and opportunities and advocate for short- and long-term improvements to the rail network. Learn more: https://www.t4ma.org/commuter_rail