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Senator Moore fights to get transit fairness for Bellingham & Northbridge |
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June 15, 2005 - Taxpayers in two Worcester and Norfolk District communities are assessed to support the MBTA even though they receive no direct service. Especially frustrating in these days of tight municipal budgets is the fact that the town is not allowed to create or join a Regional Transit Authority to provide services to residents. The assessment, which has been levied on the towns for the past five years, was the result of a law passed in 2000 to put the MBTA on a better financial footing. Taxpayers in Bellingham and Northbridge are annually assessed $92,794 and $80,977 respectively. Senator Richard T. Moore (D-Uxbridge), who voted against the MBTA assessment plan when it came up for a vote five years ago, has joined with Senator Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) and other lawmakers to seek justice for towns that are forced to pay, but are prevented from getting transit service. The lawmakers are contacting the six members of the Budget Conference Committee seeking support for a Senate sponsored budget provision that insures that all communities have an equal right to create or join a Regional Transit Authority. “Most cities and towns in the Commonwealth have the option of providing fixed route bus and para-transit services to their citizens by joining together in Regional Transit Authorities,” Senator Moore explained. “However, 51 communities, including Bellingham and Northbridge, are denied that option because of the way the MBTA funding act is being interpreted by the Secretary of Transportation,” he added. Senator Moore said that the lack of public transportation in growing communities like Bellingham and Northbridge impedes the economic recovery of those towns and that of the state as a whole. “To support sustainable economic development and smart growth we must create a robust transportation system in all regions,” he said. Many suburban communities benefit from commuter rail service provided by the MBTA; some, such as Grafton or Franklin, host train stations, others, like Bellingham and Northbridge are deemed to benefit because they are in close geographic proximity to a town with a train station. It is this rationale that was used to expand the base of financial support for the MBTA. More than two-thirds of the MBTA assessed communities participate in a Regional Transit Authority to expand service to their residents. For example, if the Senate’s budget language is adopted, Northbridge could develop a shuttle service to the “T” station in Grafton (or Franklin in the case of Bellingham) or provide expanded senior citizens transit. The town’s cost for such a service could be applied against its MBTA assessment giving residents some value for their dollars sent to support the “T.” |
