Among the spending allocations in the $63.4 billion fiscal year 2027 state budget, legislators representing Franklin County and the North Quabbin region secured $1.28 million to support the work of organizations such as Baystate Franklin Medical Center’s Family Medicine Residency program and the Opioid Task Force.
Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, who serves as vice chair on the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, said in a statement that the budget that Gov. Maura Healey signed on July 9 includes funding for state agencies that serve residents of western Massachusetts, as well as money for local projects that can help communities manage rising costs, particularly during a time when federal funding for local projects remains uncertain.
“This budget proposal reflects the Senate’s commitment to meet this moment with urgency, compassion, skill and resolve,” Comerford said. “As residents and communities across Massachusetts face rising costs and constant uncertainty, this proposal makes critical investments in food security, health care, education and municipal support. While we cannot fully address the hardship stemming from federal cuts, this budget works to protect essential services and to guard against further harm.”
Comerford highlighted $620,000 in funding that she helped secure for Franklin County and the North Quabbin, including:
- $250,000 for Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield to support its Family Medicine Residency program.
- $100,000 for the Franklin Regional Council of Governments to improve the delivery of emergency medical services in Franklin County.
- $75,000 for Stone Soup Cafe to support its work fighting food insecurity in Greenfield.
- $70,000 for the Franklin County Community Meals Program.
- $50,000 to the town of Royalston for design and repair of the King Street Bridge.
- $25,000 for the Friends of the Wendell Meetinghouse to support accessibility improvements and the meetinghouse’s maintenance.
State Sen. Paul Mark, D-Becket, said state funding helps move projects from idea to reality, and this year’s budget — including $325,000 he helped secure for western Franklin County — will help make a difference for the region.
“One of the most important parts of this job is listening to the people who know their communities best and then working to deliver the resources they need,” Mark said in a statement. “These investments will help our schools educate students, support first responders and behavioral health services, strengthen local nonprofits, improve transportation and make our communities stronger. I’m proud to have worked with my colleagues in the Legislature to make sure these dollars are coming back to western Massachusetts, where they’ll make a real difference.”
Mark highlighted $25,000 secured for the Mary Lyon Foundation in Buckland, which works to support students and families across the region; $200,000 for Berkshire Educational Resources K-12 (BERK12) to cover its work on the Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont regional school districts’ sustainability study; and $150,000 for the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region for continued opioid education and outreach.
State Rep. Susannah Whipps, I-Athol, also celebrated the funding she helped secure for the Opioid Task Force, as well as money for other North Quabbin projects. The North Quabbin Community Coalition will get $25,000, the Friends of Quabbin will receive $35,000 and the North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce is budgeted to receive $25,000. Additionally, $100,000 has been set aside for Quabbin Mediation’s Training Active Bystanders Program through the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and in Greenfield, Just Roots community farm will receive $50,000.
Petersham will be getting $50,000 for ambulance services and for a ramp at the municipal offices, which Rep. Aaron Saunders, D-Belchertown, said represents the state working to equitably invest in small rural communities.
“In Petersham, we were able to secure $25,000 for a new ADA ramp,” Saunders said. “Accessing our public spaces should be equitable. … It’s hard to ask our very small communities to take on these projects.”
Saunders added that Quabbin Days, which he helped secure funding for along with Whipps, held its inaugural event last year, and he hopes state funding this year will help make the event even better and showcase all the Quabbin has to offer.
Saunders said he worked with Comerford and Whipps, and other members of the western Massachusetts delegation, to push for equitable funding for the region, and teach their eastern counterparts about the unique challenges of rural communities.
“Overall, the theme of this year’s budget was ensuring we were equitably investing in our small communities,” Saunders said. “I think we took some steps forward, but we have significantly more to go. … There’s lots of broad steps we took with Franklin County and western Mass in general in mind.”
In addition to funding for specific Franklin County and North Quabbin projects, the state budget also included funds for regional initiatives in western Massachusetts, such as $137,877 for the Northampton-based Friends of Children Inc. for its court-appointed special advocate program in Franklin and Hampshire counties.
Another $50,000 is supporting Girls on the Run Western Massachusetts for physical education curriculum in elementary and middle schools. In Franklin County, Girls on the Run has programs at Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School, Colrain Central School, Deerfield Elementary School, Greenfield’s Federal Street School and Orange’s Fisher Hill Elementary School.
“Of course, I’m grateful to my colleagues who vote in favor of these budget bills. One person doesn’t get anything done on their own, as everything is very collaborative,” Whipps said in a statement. “When there is a win in a community, it’s a win for all of us. I enjoy having the opportunity to talk about my amendments with colleagues and tell them about projects that are ongoing or wish lists that my communities have.”
In addition to the money included for these various organizations and regional efforts, more than $64.5 million has been allocated in Chapter 70 education funding and $13.7 million in Unrestricted General Government Aid for towns and regional school districts across Franklin County.
Approximately $26.06 million is set for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, $16.4 million for Greenfield Community College, $10.6 million for the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, $456,230 for costs associated with State Police assigned to the Northwestern DA’s office, and $732,774 for the Franklin County Registry of Deeds.
Saunders said he hopes to continue work to equitably fund rural communities in future budgets, with particular attention to school funding. State legislators are also currently working to review a $100 supplemental budget for public schools, which Saunders called a “continued opportunity to invest” in area communities.
“One of the most significant pieces that ties this year’s budget to next year’s is rural school aid and the reestablishment of the Foundation Budget Review Commission,” Saunders said, referencing a new group tasked with reexamining the Chapter 70 funding formula. “I’m looking forward to working with the Foundation Budget Review Commission to ensure changes center around rural communities. … I’m hopeful we’re going to have some wholesale change in rural school aid.”
