The Patrick Administration announced a new first-of-its-kind state tax credit program this week to encourage market rate housing development in the Gateway Cities. The small pilot program, created by economic development legislation in 2010, provides developers with tax incentives to rehabilitate properties and build multi-unit market rate housing. This effort is a first step toward
Funding for Gateway City financial education and IDAs
The Massachusetts legislature is looking at funding for asset building anti-poverty strategies through two separate bills. The House budget provides resources to implement a financial education program aimed at Gateway City students in the k-12 public school system. The Senate budget restores $100,000 in funding for state Individual Development Accounts, which help low-income individuals build
T Bailout leads to RTA increase
Last week the House passed a bailout bill allocating $51 million from motor vehicle inspection fees to close the T budget gap. When combined with Senate legislation, this funding package will likely send an additional $ 7 million to the state’s 15 Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs). As noted in Moving Forward with Funding, a MassINC
Transportation costs for homeless students could transfer to the state
The cost Gateway City school districts bear transporting homeless students could be passed on to the state if the budget proposed by the House prevails. (While the House budget picks up the $11.3 million that school districts were projected to spend on transportation for homeless students in 2012, the Senate budget does not contain funding
Lessons from Lawrence on education reform
Monday, June 11, 2012 The New Bedford Standard Times recently published an editorial expressing a desire for New Bedford to look to Lawrence for a lesson in education reform. The editorial recognizes the similarities in character, economy and demographic layout between the two Gateway Cities, and emphasizes that the educational reforms in Lawrence are relevant
Letter to our friends and supporters
To our Supporters and Friends – We at MassINC are proud of our commitment to objective, non-partisan research and journalism. You are all well aware of the fierce adherence we have to the integrity of the work of both MassINC and CommonWealth, and it is a credit to you that you choose to support an
Assets, not need should, define Gateway Cities
Research Director Ben Forman weighs in on why the Legislature should not expand the list of communities that are defined as Gateway Cities in a CW Voices piece. The article comes as the debate heats up over whether the State should change the Gateway Cities definition to include more towns and cities. In the article,
The positive fiscal impact of historic tax credits
For economic development spending, the Holy Grail is a program that pays for itself. This can happen when a state outlay generates economic activity leading to increased tax collections. In a recent analysis of the state historic tax credit for the Urban Land Institute, Ted Carmen shows that there’s a good shot that the state’s historic
Gateway City Education Statistics
MassINC is compiling a “bluebook” with Gateway City education trends. Here are some key highlights from Chapter 1: One in four public school students in Massachusetts is enrolled in a Gateway City district Gateway City schools enroll more than one-half of the state’s English language learners and nearly half of all low income students in the
Immigrant entrepreneurs for growth and renewal
A recent report by the Small Business Administration highlights the role of immigrant entrepreneurs in the American economy. The study shows immigrants are more likely to form and own businesses. While the findings suggest immigrant-owned businesses have lower revenues and fewer employees on average, they are more likely to export products. During the Great Recession,