Agawam, West Springfield state budget cuts disappointingDate: 1/24/2024 Officials from the town of Agawam and the Boys & Girls Club of West Springfield were disappointed to see their earmarked state funds halved, but said they are grateful for what they will still receive amid state budget cuts.
“The board is understanding,” said Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Dan D’Angelo. “We’ll have to trudge on and make sure the program is as good as ever.”
Similarly, Agawam Mayor Christopher Johnson said, “Obviously we’re disappointed, but understand the position that the governor is in.”
He added that Gov. Maura Healey needed to ensure Massachusetts had a balanced budget.
Both were referring to Gov. Maura Healey’s Chapter 9C budget cuts, which she announced on Jan. 8. The $375 million in budget cuts followed lower-than-expected tax revenues, 4.1% lower over the past half-year, according to the State House News Service. They affected organizations and municipalities across the region.
Last year, state Rep. Michael Finn (D-West Springfield) helped earmark $100,000 in the Massachusetts fiscal year 2024 budget to reimburse the Boys & Girls Club for renovations to its Little Futures Preschool. That number has now been reduced to $50,000.
The earmark was prompted by the cost of the renovations, double what the club expected, which caused the club to look for extra funding. Nonetheless, D’Angelo said the renovations were still necessary.
“Preschool in our area right now is very needed,” he said.
When the preschool opened in 2019, it reached capacity by November. The renovations, which were completed last summer, doubled the amount of students the preschool could hold and overhauled the building’s HVAC system. The renovated preschool hit capacity immediately after opening.
Agawam’s $25,000 earmark, now $12,500, was not going to be used for a specific project, said Johnson. Rather, it was going to be spent on small improvements in town and school buildings, meant to keep them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. These include replacing round door handles with levers and installing signs with Braille transcriptions.
The town will scale back improvements as a result of the funding cut. Agawam will also try for an earmark in the next state budget, and may fund some improvements using local funds.
“We’ll just get a little less done,” Johnson said.
D’Angelo said the budget cut won’t affect the preschool and won’t cause it to close. Being at capacity helps keep it open, he said. He said the club may be able to absorb the cost. It will also work with local leaders to see if they can still make adjustments or otherwise assist the club. The Board of Directors will meet with the club’s finance committee and trustees before making any decisions.
“We’ll keep those dialogues open, and hopefully down the line things will change,” he said.
The budget cuts also affected the West Springfield Council on Aging, which saw two $50,000 earmarks reduced to $25,000 each. Senior Center Director Laurie Gearing declined to comment on the cuts, but said the money was intended for new equipment in their fitness center and the purchase of a public transport van. She said the organization was not sure yet of what it might change to account for the decrease in funding.
In a statement, Finn said he was disappointed by the “arbitrary” cuts to West Springfield organizations.
“I had chosen specific projects to help through our budget process because I knew they would positively impact the communities I represent,” Finn said. “These arbitrary cuts were done in a vacuum, without the input of those who had fought for their inclusion in the budget process. The earmarks I had secured would have benefitted the young children who receive services at our local Boys & Girls Clubs and also the elderly who enjoy assistance from our Senior Centers.”
Finn also said statements by the Healey administration that the migrant crisis didn’t cause the cuts were untrue, saying it had a $1 billion cost. In his own statement, state Rep. Nicholas Boldyga (R-Southwick), who represents most of Agawam, said the cuts were unfortunate and also credited them to the migrant crisis.
“As more illegal migrants come into the state, more and more taxpayers are leaving it,” he said. “A revenue shortfall was predictable and one of the reasons I voted against the budget. The governor is eager to spend billions on housing illegal migrants in hotels, yet has no issue slashing funding for schools, ambulances, recreation centers, and fire departments. Democrats in Boston clearly have their priorities backward.”
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