Gov. Patrick's FY 2011 Budget Proposes Much Pain for Mass. Working Families

Well, it’s budget season in Massachusetts again. Where has the time gone? It’s only been a few months since the Gov. Deval Patrick used his Section 9C powers to make another bunch of budget cuts. Now he’s released his Fiscal Year 2001 budget proposal - and the Mass. Budget and Policy Center has released its usual helpful section-by-section analysis. So let’s take a look at what kind of hurt that working families of Massachusetts are going to be expected to suck up in the ongoing absence of any new progressive taxation policies at any level of government.

Judging by the numbers, it could be a lot worse. But the devil is always in the details, and even areas of the budget that are being level-funded or even contain increases, often merely paper over crippling cuts in critical service areas. And let’s not forget that level-funding government operations means that state employees are sometimes expected to do more with less as inflation remains high during the ongoing recession.

The budget proposal does manage to close the $2.75 billion budget shortfall. But it does so largely thanks to $1.39 billion in federal money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – and with $797 million in budget cuts (which only actually save the $670 million because some of the cuts trigger losses in matching federal aid).

Anyhow, I’ll just cover the lowlights of the budget below using the MBPC analysis, but I highly suggest reading the full analysis here to get a solid understanding of what’s really going on in the governor’s proposal.

Still, however you slice the numbers, this budget is bad news for a lot people in the Commonwealth. I can hardly wait for the first House budget proposal. Not.

Education
$6.73 billion – a 1 percent increase overall - although high education is asked to suck up a .5 percent decrease.

Environment and Recreation
$185.7 million – a 7 percent decrease overall – including a 10 percent cut to the hazardous waste cleanup program, and significant cuts to fish and game, and parks and recreation programs.

Health Care
$13.1 billion – an 8.1 percent increase from the current FY 2010 budget - but there is still a projected $100 million shortfall expected for the MassHealth program for 2010.

Human Services
$3.33 billion – a 0.2 percent decrease from the current FY 2010 budget. This includes cuts that will hurt Children and Family Services, and really hurt the Developmental Services (formerly the Department on Mental Retardation) budget … leaving it $13 million below the original FY 2010 [which includes last fall’s 9C cuts]. Plus tough cuts to elder services, Transitional Assistance (welfare), youth services and veterans services.

Infrastructure, Housing and Economic Development
$1.62 billion - a 0.3 percent decrease from the original FY 2010 budget. Including cuts to Economic Development, Housing and Community Development and Transportation.

Law and Public Safety
$2.35 billion – a 2.3 percent increase from the current budget – though there are cuts in every area. A mixed blessing from a progressive perspective. Depending on which program we’re discussing.

Local Aid
$964.7 million – basically level-funding cities and towns for another year. Meaning the pain will continue unabated for all the local governments that have seen property tax levies fall in the last couple of years, even as the squeeze continues in state and federal aid. Expect to see a lot more Lawrence-type local budget collapses in the coming months.

Libraries
$21.1 million – a 15 percent decrease. Really sad, and really bad for our democracy.

Jason Pramas is Editor/Publisher of Open Media Boston