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| By G. Michael Dobbs Managing Editor SPRINGFIELD The city may owe the state $52 million, but the state owes the city $69 million and City Councilor Tim Rooke would like to see some arrangement made to help the city pay back the bailout money it lent Springfield. Rooke explained to Reminder Publications that he is seeking a meeting with Secretary of Administration and Finance Leslie Kirwan and with the leadership of the Legislature to see if it would be possible to strike a deal that would make the re-payment of that loan easier for the city. In 1974 the state mandated bussing to achieve racial balance in the city's schools. The state was supposed to reimburse Springfield for the cost of the bussing. According to Rooke, the state has never re-paid the city and owes it $69 million. The state also mandated bussing in Lawrence and Rooke said that he believes that community has not received any reimbursements either. Rooke said he understands the state would never write off the $52 million on the basis of what it owes the city, but would like to leverage the situation so the city can have more time to pay and smaller payments. "They're not going to call it a wash," he said. Next year, he said, the city is due to pay $8.7 million of the loan. That amount would use more than half of what the city has in its free cash account. Rooke contacted the local mandates office of the State Auditor and was told it's difficult to hold the Legislature responsible for their actions. Rooke has the support of Mayor Charles Ryan and members of the Finance Control Board. He has spoken to the new chair of the board, Christopher Gabrieli, about the proposal. He is hopeful that State Rep. Thomas Petrolati, part of the House leadership, will help him set up meetings at the General Court. He is hopeful that state officials will be open-minded about a new deal. "Secretary Kirwan didn't shut the window on this," he said. |