Muni Matters: Homeowner Dominance | Surtax Support | Green Communities | Fall Rivers Veterans

Municipal News From In & Around Massachusetts

Study: Homeowners Overrepresented on Land Boards

Massachusetts boards that oversee local land use and construction are typically dominated by white male homeowners, a recent study from Boston University researchers found. The study analyzed data from zoning boards, planning boards and redevelopment boards, as well as city councils and selectboards, in 22 Bay State cities. Researchers found that homeowners, people over 50 years old and long-term residents were overrepresented on municipal boards and commissions, while women and people of color were significantly underrepresented.

For example, the results show that 31 percent of voters in the Gateway Cities are homeowners or live in owner-occupied homes, but 69 percent of public officials in these cities meet this criteria. In addition, 53 percent of the voters in these communities are people of color, but only 33 percent of public officials are, while women make up 54 percent of voters but only 30 percent of public officials. Researchers noted similar disparities in terms of who most often participates in public meetings around housing development, according to the report. The study authors advocated for more targeted outreach and engagement in underrepresented populations, including through focus groups, civic lotteries and technological innovations to make local government proceedings more welcoming and less difficult to participate in. – Meg McIntyre/SHNS

Growing List of Municipalities Backing Surtax Amendment

The Amesbury City Council is the latest municipal body to have endorsed the Fair Share Amendment, a proposed constitutional amendment that would levy a 4 percent surtax on household income above $1 million per year. Voters are set to consider the surtax on the statewide ballot in November after state legislators opted to put the question to residents during a Constitutional Convention last summer. Amesbury councilors unanimously approved a resolution supporting the proposed surtax late last month, the Newburyport News reported. City Councilor Adrienne Lennon called the amendment an “obvious opportunity” for wealthy investors to support other residents at a time when local budgets are strained.

“They do not live on their income, they live on the dividends of their income and it harms them in no way, whatsoever, to be contributing to the opportunities of the rest of the people of the commonwealth,” Lennon said at the panel’s June 28 meeting. By the News Service’s count, at least 13 municipal bodies have publicly supported the amendment so far, including in Amesbury, Amherst, Cambridge, Dalton, Lee, Lynn, Medford, New Bedford, Newburyport, North Adams, Pittsfield, Springfield and Worcester. The proposal has also been backed by 26 housing and community development groups that declared their support for the measure last week. It has drawn opposition from groups such as the Massachusetts High Technology Council, Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, the Massachusetts chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business, the Pioneer Institute and the Retailers Association of Massachusetts. – Meg McIntyre/SHNS

New Rules for Green Community Police Cruisers

Cities and towns hoping to secure a Green Community designation this year have a few months to get their applications in and will face some new requirements around fuel efficiency for new police cruisers. The state’s Green Communities Program provides financial and technical help to cities and towns that agree to cut municipal energy use by 20 percent over five years and meet four other criteria included in the 2008 Green Communities Act. Since 2010, the number of designated Green Communities has grown from 35 to 280, and about 87 percent of Bay Staters live in a “Green Community,” the Department of Energy Resources said.

One of the criteria is that municipal departments “must purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles for municipal use whenever such vehicles are commercially available and practicable.” Since the start of the program, police cruisers have been exempt from the miles-per-gallon requirements of the program’s fuel-efficiency vehicle policy, but DOER announced this month that cruisers will soon need to meet the MPG standard.

“Given that fuel-efficient police vehicles are now commercially available, police cruisers will no longer be exempt starting in Fiscal Year 2024. Therefore, any new police cruisers acquired after June 30, 2023, having a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of less than 8,500 pounds, will need to comply with the most recent MPG criteria,” the Green Communities Division wrote in an email. The division also noted that all Green Communities must “commit to purchasing fuel-efficient cruisers when they become commercially available.” The deadline for municipalities to apply for a 2022 Green Community designation is 5 p.m. on Sept. 30. DOER said that municipalities can contact their regional Green Communities coordinator to request a preliminary consultation to discuss progress toward meeting any or all of the five designation criteria. Documents must be submitted before Aug. 26 for a preliminary consultation. – Colin A. Young/SHNS

Fall River Launches Veterans Advisory Committee

Veterans in Fall River now have a new venue for raising concerns, questions and feedback about their needs and services. This month, the city established a new committee that will provide advice and recommendations to its Office of Veteran Services, officials announced in a news release and recent press conference. The goal of the advisory committee is to promote good working relationships between the city administration, veteran organizations, local veterans and their families, the release said. Ten Fall River residents with various military affiliations have been appointed to the committee, which will also include the city administrator, Director of Veteran Services Micaila Britto, the executive director of U.S.S. Massachusetts Memorial, Inc., which operates the Battleship Cove museum, and the City Council’s veteran liaison. In conjunction with the announcement of the new committee, the city awarded $100,000 from the Office of Veteran Services’ fiscal year 2022 budget to 18 local veterans organizations. The advisory committee is set to convene every six weeks and in advance of veteran related events and observances. – Meg McIntyre/SHNS