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New from CommonWealth Beacon |
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INCLUSIONARY ZONING: Just as an end-of-year lawsuit launched a broadside against a decades-old policy to boost affordable development, state lawmakers moved to make it easier for cities and towns to roll out their version of that same policy. Jennifer Smith has more. |
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HEALTH INSURANCE RELIEF: The state plans to pump an additional $250 million into heavily subsidized insurance offered through the Massachusetts Health Connector to staunch skyrocketing costs for middle-class Bay Staters, Gov. Maura Healey’s office announced Thursday. Alison Kuznitz of State House News Service has more. |
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SENATE ACTION: After turning up their collective noses at Mayor Michelle Wu’s latest attempt to rebalance Boston’s property tax bills, Senate leaders are ready to forge ahead with their own relief plans — and to wrench open the financial curtains on a record-setting ballot question field. Chris Lisinski has more. |
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OPINION: In the face of rising waters and temperatures from climate change, environmental and open space advocates David O’Neill, Kris Sarri, Katie Theoharides, and Jodi Valenta urge passage of the Nature for All bill, which would steer $100 million per year from the sales tax on sporting goods to water and land conservation efforts. |
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The term “Gateway City” was first coined in a 2007 report published by MassINC (the nonprofit civic organization that also publishes CommonWealth Beacon) and originally described just 11 midsize cities outside of Greater Boston that were, and still are, struggling regional economic centers. These cities were major manufacturing hubs yet suffered from the same decline that beset much of the country in the decades since World War II. |
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But they are also communities with assets – historic architecture, museums, universities, and walkable neighborhoods and downtowns – that make them attractive places for investment. They are home to nearly 40 percent of the state’s foreign-born residents, and for many, they are a “gateway” to the American dream. |
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In 2009 and 2010, Beacon Hill took note of these communities around the state and recognized the need to financially support their economic development efforts. The Legislature codified an official definition of Gateway Cities in state law and began setting aside funds to help redevelop the qualifying communities. |
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But despite lawmakers’ good intentions, the statute failed to create a clear enforcement mechanism to periodically review each city’s eligibility. Over time, some cities have met the state’s criteria without being added to the list, while others no longer qualify yet continue to reap the benefits. Beacon Hill hasn’t made changes to the list of qualifying cities since 2013. Since then, oversight of the designations seems to have been lost. |
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State statute defines a Gateway City as any city with a population greater than 35,000 but less than 250,000, a median household income below the statewide average, and a rate of educational attainment of a bachelor’s degree or higher that is below the state average. Under that definition, 24 cities originally qualified for the status under the law. But in 2013, former Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration added Attleboro and Peabody to the list after their median household incomes dipped below the statewide average, bringing the total to 26. |
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Today, those 26 former industrial cities continue to compete for tax credits and millions of dollars in housing and economic development funds from a number of programs that target Gateway Cities. Over the years, there have been many legislative attempts to revise the state’s eligibility criteria – none of which have been successful. |
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But there are three current Gateway Cities – Salem, Methuen, and Quincy – that do not qualify for the status under the state’s current criteria. Methuen’s median household income has just surpassed the state average. Data from the most recent five-year American Community Survey show that nearly 50 percent of Salem residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher – a bit more than the statewide average. In Quincy, nearly 49 percent of residents now have a bachelor’s degree or higher, just surpassing the state average. |
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Two cities – Weymouth and Marlborough – now meet all three criteria to be considered Gateway Cities under state statute, according to the Census Bureau’s most recent data, yet they are not reaping the benefits of the designation. |
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So, who is in charge of the designations? Beacon Hill doesn’t seem to know. |
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More from CommonWealth Beacon |
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CAMPAIGN FINANCE: State Rep. Chynah Tyler of Boston will pay a $6,000 civil forfeiture to the state and submit to greater campaign-finance scrutiny for the next six months, after Uber Eats, audiobooks, and thousands of dollars in unexplained spending landed the Roxbury pol in hot water with state political finance regulators. Chris Lisinski has more. |
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INSURANCE: The state’s home insurer of last resort will soon need to decide whether to raise rates for the first time in two decades after a massive jump in enrollees, adding to broader concerns about affordability. Jordan Wolman explains. |
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OPINION: Springfield middle school teacher and state representative candidate Johnnie McKnight argues that policymakers need to set guardrails around the use of AI to prevent swaths of workers from being left behind by the quickly developing technology. |
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PROTESTS: The killing of a woman by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis reverberated across the region Thursday night as Boston area residents came out to protest US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and memorialize the shooting victim. (GBH News) |
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ICE: Gov. Maura Healey called on two airlines to stop chartering flights used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport people out of Massachusetts, saying the federal agency's tactics are “disturbing and anti-American.” (WBUR) |
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LOCAL NEWS: Claims against Anthony Soto, interim superintendent of the Holyoke Public Schools, alleging that he was allegedly complicit in discrimination against a former district student, will not move forward, a new federal court filing says. (MassLive – paywall) |
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STATE FINANCES: A panel of state finance experts agreed last month that Gov. Maura Healey's administration could prudently issue a total of $3.337 billion in general debt next fiscal year, recommending a slightly-lower-than-average increase for the second straight year. (State House News Service – paywall) |
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HEALTH: As health systems brace themselves for looming cuts to Medicaid, Worcester insurer Fallon Health is set to be acquired by Somerville-based Mass General Brigham Health Plan, creating what is expected to be the third-largest insurer in Massachusetts. (Worcester Business Journal – paywall) |
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