Massachusetts still doesn’t know the full economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but one thing is certain: the state will begin fiscal 2021 without a permanent budget as officials wait for more clarity on revenue losses and the possibility of federal relief.
The Baker administration filed a $5.25 billion joint interim budget Friday afternoon, less than two weeks before the start of fiscal 2021. The interim budget, commonly referred to as a one-twelfth, typically approves funding to cover expenses in July at the same funding level that was approved for fiscal 2020.
The interim budget sets aside the funds to maintain operations at statewide departments, boards, commissions and institutions. The funding also applies to dispersing federal grants and Intergovernmental Service Fund expenditures.
The interim budget calls for Treasurer Deborah Goldberg to make some advance payments, including reimbursements, for at least some local municipal, school and technical programs that may face spending gaps, provided that the state Department of Revenue commissioner and Secretary of Administration and Finance approve of the payments.
Imagine how much work the State has to do to manage a 1/12th budget. Probably more than our Town, right, but they are still doing it because its their job.
ReplyDeleteIn Templeton we leave those decisions to the workers. Do you want to do the best thing for the town or is it "to much work" to put together numbers for a monthly budget? In our Town its "to much work" and our administration has decided that rather than have employee work out the monthly numbers ( Templeton math and all) we'll just keep everything the same and come back to taxpayers in the Fall to get more money. It's much easier to tell the taxpayer some BS story about our poor working conditions, poor pay then to actually do their jobs.
The taxpayers at the Town Meeting agreed and allowed the administration to promote its BS budget.
Our Advisory Committee needs to be more concerned with facts than with promoting "warm fuzzies" about our employees trying hard, doing their best and start requiring them to do whats right for the taxpayers.
I will not support any "rebalance" based on this budgets lack of reality.
We have "GRAVE CONCERNS" for the out years (per administration) but we are going to drive into that wall smiling knowing we didn't put all that undo planning on our employees while they were busy discussing their poor pay!
P.S. Sometimes poor pay comes from poor work
ReplyDeleteIt will come out in the wash. It always does.
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