Less than a week after federal overseers ordered immediate action to fix glaring safety deficiencies at the MBTA, lawmakers charted a response plan that pins blame on the Baker administration and puts hundreds of millions of dollars on the table.
In the next few months in Massachusetts, we will hear a great deal from the candidates running for governor and their top priorities if elected. During this same time, the actions by the Baker Administration will determine the future viability of transportation projects that would occur in the next decade.
A $3 million infrastructure grant will help transform downtown Fitchburg, in part, by leveraging up to $100 million in private investments and supporting housing and mixed use development planned in the city’s “smart growth” district.
It is not news that the Trump Administration was successful in getting the controversial Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 passed late last year.
Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration has released $100 million, much of it targeted for human services programs, six months after the heavily Democratic Legislature mandated the spending.
The Baker administration announced the launch of the new Mass.gov website, redesigned to better meet the needs of thousands of constituents visiting it on a daily basis.
The Baker administration will distribute a $2.38 million MassWorks infrastructure program grant to the town of Winthrop to redevelop the Centre Business District. Funding will be used for significant public infrastructure improvements, including water, sewer, roadway, sidewalk and streetscape improvements.
Massachusetts officials plan to use their share of a $500,000 federal grant to put more drivers behind the wheels of electric vehicles over the next two years in a bid to spur sales in that market.
The Baker administration will not seek government layoffs to address a persistent budget gap after 900 employees took a buyout offer resulting in $12 million in payroll savings this fiscal year and a projected $70 million in fiscal 2018.
Despite dire warnings from the Baker Administration about overly optimistic tax collection estimates used to build this year’s $39.1 billion state budget, the first month of the new fiscal year ended in the black, with receipts beating benchmarks by $7 million, according to revenue officials.
