MMA Headlines:


City and town officials across the Commonwealth rely on the MMA’s annual Massachusetts Municipal Directory as a comprehensive resource for connecting with colleagues.
 
The MMA is currently soliciting updates from municipalities for the 2017-2018 edition.
 
As of May 19, 103 communities had updated their directory information using the convenient online tool.
 
Emails are being sent to chief municipal officials in each community, including a link to the tool and a username and password. The email has been sent to all cities. Towns receive the email shortly after their annual election


Storm Water Management:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “MS4” permit, which will regulate stormwater in more than 250 municipalities in Massachusetts, will take effect on July 1, but the first action item for municipalities to comply is due in September.
 
Communities must prepare and file their Notice of Intent for permit coverage within 90 days, or by Sept. 29. A Notice of Intent template and instructions are available on the EPA’s website.
 
The final general permit for stormwater discharges from small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems in Massachusetts was published in the Federal Register in April of 2016.
 
Under the MS4 permit, municipalities must develop, implement and enforce a stormwater management program that controls pollutants to the maximum extent practicable, protects water quality, and satisfies appropriate requirements of the federal Clean Water Act. The MS4 permit requires implementation of six minimum control measures.
 
Updated permit requirements include the need to address identified water quality problems, including stormwater discharges to water bodies with approved total maximum daily loads for bacteria, phosphorus and nitrogen.
 
In addition to filing a Notice of Intent, communities must begin meeting a number of permit requirements within the first year – or prior to June 30, 2018. These requirements include catch basin cleaning, street sweeping, development of procedures for winter road maintenance, submission of a stormwater management plan, illicit discharge detection and elimination procedures, and creation of a procedure for construction site inspection.


Federal Health Care: A tax that might affect you!

The House bill would also retain the ACA’s Cadillac tax, which was designed to be the primary funding mechanism for the ACA to pay for some of the more costly policy changes.
 
The Cadillac tax is a 40 percent annual excise on individual health insurance plans valued above $10,800 and family plans valued above $29,500. The tax was originally due to go into effect in 2018, but the start date was pushed back to 2020. With the arrival of the Trump administration, however, there was uncertainty about the fate of the tax.
 
The House bill would delay implementation of the Cadillac tax until 2025 – the latest date the tax could be implemented and still count as a revenue source for the proposed bill. The Senate has yet to take up its own health care bill, but it appears increasingly likely the Cadillac tax is here to stay.

posted by Jeff Bennett