MAPC brings a unique perspective to technical assistance projects, as a public agency with a regional perspective.  MAPC is also distinguished from conventional technical assistance providers by its familiarity with a wide range of municipal issues and by its robust legislative program.  

However, MAPC’s capacity to provide technical assistance is subject to the availability of funds from state technical assistance programs, and this funding is often unpredictable and inconsistent.  The Executive Order 418 program, the Smart Growth Technical Assistance Fund, and the Priority Development Fund were three programs that allowed MAPC to help communities make great strides toward progressive planning, but the first program was a one-time effort and the latter two have been largely discontinued.  The District Local Technical Assistance program now provides funds for general technical assistance in both land use and regionalization, but the continuation of this program is not guaranteed.  With limited funds, MAPC cannot help all the communities who request assistance, and with unpredictable funding sources it is difficult to plan for multi-year efforts that would make major changes in local policies.  Similar challenges face all RPAs in Massachusetts.

More broadly, the annual assessment paid to MAPC by cities and towns is governed by Proposition 2 ½, which limits annual increases to 2.5%, with no “override” mechanism.  Although population is used to distribute the assessment among communities, there is no mechanism to increase the overall assessment as population grows.  Since the median assessment is very low, even a doubling of the assessment would have virtually no impact on city or town budgets, while dramatically affecting the level of technical support MAPC could provide. 

1.a    The Legislature should provide increased levels of support for the District Local Technical Assistance program in FY 2010

1.b    The Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies and the Commonwealth should establish and maintain a regular mechanism for interaction between state agency directors and directors of regional planning agencies

1.c    Working with cities and towns in the region, the Commonwealth should consider increasing the annual assessment available to MAPC

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