As part of this effort, we’re asking you – our members statewide – to research how cuts have affected all of our cities and towns. Documenting the affects of these budget cuts can make a powerful case for rebuilding our state’s investment strategies. This is key to building support for An Act to Invest in Our Communities, which would restore $1.3 billion to the state budget, reversing many of the cuts we’ve made to our education system, public safety infrastructure and other critical community services.
Step One: Compile Basic Statistics
With your help, the ONE Mass Summer Campaign will make sure that community advocates in every corner of our state have at their disposal a rich collection of relevant facts to aid in their efforts surrounding tax and budget decisions – from votes by the state legislature and city councils to those by their friends and neighbors in ballot questions. Check out our Worcester Budget Report for an example of this type of effort.
[Basic Budget Statistics – PDF]
Step Two: Gather Community Stories
Next, we aim to gather examples of how these cuts are affecting the effectiveness of city services and the health of the community. These could include statistics – like changes in response times by emergency services or class sizes – or stories from you and how life in your neighborhood has changed over the years.
[A Story About My Community – Online Form]
Some of these stories are already gaining more attention by the media. With your help, we are collecting these articles, OpEds, and blogs, helping us draw a more complete picture of the state of our state.
[My Community in the News – Online Form]
If you have questions or suggestions, or are looking to get more involved in organizing these efforts – in your organization or your neighborhood – please feel free to contact us today!
Really important to illustrate and illuminate the way the public structures in our communities have damaged or further eroded in the past couple of years.
Document the cuts — everything from libraries to the water department — and deliver the news to your legislative delegation and get a commitment from her or him to support some progressive revenues in the fall.