Towns awarded Fair Share Amendment funds

Date: 1/3/2024

All Massachusetts towns were recently awarded their allotment of the Fair Share Amendment funds, the state announced.

Approved by voters in November 2022, the Fair Share Amendment is an additional 4% tax on annual incomes greater than $1 million. The funds raised by this tax are consolidated and disbursed to every town in the state based on the town’s road mileage, population and employment, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. In total, the state received $100 million in Fair Share funds for fiscal year 2024.

While each town decides the specifics of how to use its fund allotment, the Fair Share Amendment dictates that utilized funds should impact education or transportation.

In Monson, which received a total of $281,076, the funds are being utilized to reimburse the costs of repaving roads in the town, Highway Surveyor Ben Murphy said. While specific roads have not yet been chosen, Murphy explained that the town plans to use its pavement management plan to decide which roads should be addressed.

In addition to repaving roads in poor condition, Murphy said that the Highway Department also plans to repair cracks in “middle” condition roads as well as install signs with the funds received.

While the funds were not considered as part of the department’s budget, Murphy emphasized that the staff “are excited” to utilize the funds and “every bit helps.”

For the town of Warren, Highway Surveyor Jeremy Olson explained a similar procedure. He stated that the town will use its awarded $176,088 to support the road treatments already planned by the Highway Department.

Specifically, Warren has two road treatment projects they plan to complete, he said. The first is placing a chip seal over Old West Warren Road, Cross St. and Columbus Ave. in order to create a “surface wear level” that will extend the road’s life for 5-10 years. These roads are in “okay” condition, Olson stated, and should be repaired but do not need to be repaved. If funding is available, the department will also address Town Farm Road and Reynolds Road with a chip seal, he said. The second project is milling and repaving roads in poorer condition. While these roads have not been finalized, Olson named Prospect St. as a possibility.

Warren’s Highway Department was already planning to repair and repave these roads when they were notified of the town’s allotment of the Fair Share Amendment funds, Olson said. He explained that the received funds will now allow the town to address more roads than the department was originally considering. The town has already received their allotment of funds, he said.

In Brimfield, Select Board Administrative Assistant Theresa Cofske explained that the Select Board was notified of the funds and is in the process of discussing how to utilize them but has not yet finalized their decision. Brimfield received a total of $175,918 from the Fair Share Amendment fund divisions.

Similarly, Palmer intends to use its $260,963 received for “drainage and road infrastructure” but has not discussed any specifics on where the work will be completed, Interim Town Manager Robert Reed said. He stated that he is scheduled to speak with the town’s “DPW superintendent shortly” to finalize the decision. Reed was uncertain whether the town had received the funds yet.

In Wales, the received $64,930 will be used to repair a drainage channel called a culvert as well as complete additional “paving projects,” Road Commissioner Chris Ryan said. He explained that, even though the department’s highway budget is “stretched and strategically spent” to repair culverts each year, there are still more than 60 that need to be fixed or replaced.

With the rising cost of materials and town’s limited funding, the department often saves multiple years’ worth of funds in order to support larger projects, Ryan stated. He stressed the importance of maintaining drainage systems, saying that “overlaying roadways is expensive and unfortunately not the correct approach The drainage is very important and in these small towns with very little funding, total reclamation and paving is just not an option without grants.”

The towns of Ware, Hardwick and Holland also each received Fair Share Amendment funds with Ware receiving $248,841, Hardwick awarded $230,962 and Holland receiving $99,066. Reminder Publishing reached out for comment but did not hear back before press time.