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Wednesday, December 23, 2015
By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) and Keith Regan
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Today: Walsh at the kettle; and the Governor reflects
It's Mayor Marty Walsh's turn to ring the bell for the Salvation Army in an attempt to defend his money-raising title. He'll be in Downtown Crossing, outside Macy's at noon. For more on the celebrity bell-ringer competition, see Garrett Quinn's take on Boston magazine's site here:http://bit.ly/1NCfzGz
Gov. Baker will appear on "Greater Boston" tonight with host Jim Braude to discuss the year that almost was and look ahead to 2016, 7 pm on WGBH-TV Channel 2.
A billion-dollar hole to fill -- and a perpetual problem
The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation has developed a specialty for pointing out gaping holes in the state budget. The group accurately forecast the $765 million shortfall Gov. Baker inherited midway through the last fiscal year. Then MassTax warned about a $1.5 billion deficit looming for this (2016) fiscal year, which the Governor and his team patched with cuts and onetime revenue items, including taking some capital gains funds that otherwise would have gone to the Rainy Day Fund. When onetime revenue sources close holes in budgets, the need to pull out new tricks is bound to recur -- call it a perennial problem. And thus the new projection for the coming fiscal year is somewhere between $800 million and $1 billion, MassTax announced yesterday.
Massachusetts is projected to generate over $1 billion in new tax revenue next year. Yet health care costs, pension obligations, among other items, quickly eat up the extra funds, and then some while the income tax rate has slowly and steadily declined. "It's going to be a very tight year," Senator Karen E. Spilka, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, told Globe reporter Joshua Miller. http://bit.ly/1S9MtSh
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's still the 2016 budget, which also faces a mismatch of expenses and revenues. Expect more on that early next year.
And the state's debt ceiling is closing in on lawmakers, as the State House News Service's Colin A. Young reports: http://statehousenews.com/news/20152564
The Great T Debate: Higher fares... for what?
The backlash to the rumblings of a 10 percent fare hike is growing, as public transit riders want to see improvements first before new increases kick in. Good luck with that. It also would be helpful if the T could better learn to collect fares, as one rider notes in Nicole Dungca's Globe story. "You get on the train and the conductor says, 'Come up front and give us your T pass.' No one comes up front." http://bit.ly/1RFdNZk
Meanwhile, the T's Fiscal Management and Control Board put out its first annual report, a sobering document if there ever was one. It's reviewed by CommonWealth magazine's Gabrielle Gurley here: http://bit.ly/1Jux0F6
$15 bucks an hour set as new minimum at Tufts, BMC
Both Tufts Medical Center and Boston Medical Center set the floor on wages at $15 yesterday, with one union accusing Tufts of deploying the raise to try to fend off a union organizing effort. The raises will affect 210 people at BMC, and about 225 people at Tufts, reports the Boston Business Journal's Jessica Bartlett. http://bit.ly/1OmFDJi
Group sues to block new casino ballot question
A group of activists has filed a complaint with the Supreme Judicial Court against the Attorney General and Secretary of State asking them to take a fresh look at a proposed ballot question to add a second slots casino in Massachusetts. "The suit is to encourage them to take a second look at the language and recognize this is not a statewide ballot issue," one activist told Shira Schoenberg of MassLive. The ballot question, which reportedly has gathered enough signatures to proceed and is being pushed by a developer who has purchased land near Suffolk Downs, would allow a second slots parlor near a horse racing track. http://bit.ly/1QWD3se
Top 2015 business stories from the Globe
As the year in review packages keep rolling in, here's a good visual take from the Globe on the top local business stories of the year -- and of course many of them are political as well:http://bit.ly/1Juovd9
Profile of a fantasy football shark
You want to know how the top players dominate fantasy sports? See this profile in the Globe by Curt Woodward on Saahil Sud, a 27-year-old data cruncher who made more than $3.5 million in 2015. He operates from a penthouse once occupied by Rajon Rondo. If he's a shark, then the average player is a minnow. http://bit.ly/1JutA5p
Indy Race CEO's taxing history
The Globe reports that Boston Grand Prix LLC CEO Mark Perrone has been convicted of failing to file federal tax returns and battled other tax-related woes in the past. Perrone paid fines and served probation for failing to file tax returns in the early 1990s, which he attributed to the work of an accountant, the Globe says. http://bit.ly/1JurrGO
Meanwhile, the Herald reports that Perrone has already stepped back into a "lesser role" in the run-up to the Labor Day 2016 IndyCar race in South Boston. A spokesman says Perrone "has taken a reduced role for personal health reasons." http://bit.ly/1RFUZsL
Healey warns gun dealers to follow rules
Attorney General Maura Healey has reached out to the state's 350 licensed gun dealers to remind them to adhere to the state's recently toughened gun laws, the Globe reports, and is investigating several dealers for potentially illegal sales. Healey also plans to dispatch investigators to spot-check dealers, many of whom are reporting brisk business the wake of recent terror attacks. http://bit.ly/1QGWPtJ
Dukakis urges Baker to ride the rails
Former Gov. Michael Dukakis has some advice for Gov. Baker on how to manage the T more effectively and weather even the most brutal winter storm, the Herald reports. Reflecting on his own leadership during the Blizzard of '78, the Duke said Baker needs strong leadership within the agency and could also benefit from occasionally hopping on board. "I learned more about the T and my own administration riding the T than I did in the State House." http://bit.ly/1YwZ477
More addiction-treatment beds to be added
The Baker administration hopes to open up more than 400 more beds for treatment of addiction and related psychiatric problems in 2016, adding to the 300 freed up during Baker's first year in office, the Lowell Sun reports. Baker said recently that most of the newly added treatment opportunities will come in private settings. http://bit.ly/1PkNSVj
Mass. growing faster than neighbors
Massachusetts has seen population grow by 4 percent since 2010, just behind the national growth rate and ahead of the rest of the Northeast region, the Globe reports. The numbers should help the Bay State keep its full slate of Congressional representation in the reapportionment that will occur after the 2020 census. http://bit.ly/1NLn9fU
More end of year charitable giving ideas
Here's our fourth round of charitable giving ideas submitted by MASSterList readers. We'll have more tomorrow and will continue to run them as they come in. Send no more than two sentences describing the nonprofit, along with a link to donate, to gdonnelly@massterlist.com.
HomeStart is a Boston based nonprofit whose mission is to prevent and ultimately end homelessness. Last year, HomeStart was able to help place 660 families from the street and shelters into housing. HomeStart also prevented 407 evictions saving those households from the crisis of homelessness. HomeStart's programs are proven effective, and combined with support, they are saving lives. Donate here to HomeStart
Conservation Law Foundation (CLF): For 50 years, Conservation Law Foundation has tackled New England's toughest environmental challenges -- the ones that others had declared too big and simply impossible to solve. Join us in our fight for a healthy, thriving future for New England families and communities by donating to www.clf.org/newengland
Citizens for Juvenile Justice (CfJJ) is the only independent, non-profit, statewide organization working exclusively to improve the juvenile justice system in Massachusetts though advocacy, research, and public education on important juvenile justice issues. We believe that both children in the system and public safety are best served by a fair and effective system that recognizes the ways children are different from adults and focuses primarily on their rehabilitation.http://cfjj.org/donate.php
Birth to Three: Here are just some of the critical items that your dollars help this nonprofit to secure: utility and maintenance costs, art supplies, cleaning products, paper products, new toys and books, and office supplies. Click on the following link:
https://www.ipswichedfoundation.org/donate/ And then click on the Birth to Three tab.
The Massachusetts Farm Bureau Preservation Foundation will help preserve local farmland that gives us so much -- fresh nutritious food, a habitat for wildlife, and scenic open space.http://bit.ly/1ThcihF
Shattuck Partners, Inc. works to improve the lives of patients at the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, an important Massachusetts DPH hospital delivering compassionate medical and psychiatric care to some of our most medically underserved neighbors, primarily referred by social services agencies and other health care providers. We fund and provide arts, recreational, vocational and therapeutic support programming for these vulnerable men and women, helping them in their quest for recovery, healing and hope.www.shattuckpartners.org
Literacy Volunteers of Massachusetts is the leading organization in Massachusetts providing free, confidential and individualized tutoring to adults in basic literacy or ESOL through the use of professionally trained and supported volunteer tutors. http://www.lvm.org/donate.html
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