Verga gest $150K earmarked for local projects

By Edward Mason
Staff Writer

BOSTON - Local lawmakers added hundreds of thousands of dollars for pet projects to the $28.2 billion budget approved by the House last week, including $150,000 for Gloucester.

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Overall, the House budget included $210 million in new spending, despite warnings from budget watchdogs that the state couldn't afford it. Dempsey said the House budget reflected necessary spending.

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"This is not a realistic budget," said Widmer, who believes the Senate would have to reduce spending by "hundreds of millions" of dollars to be prepared for a drop in state revenues caused by an expected recession.

Rep. Bradley H. Jones Jr., R-North Reading, said he thinks the Senate is poised to add, not subtract, from the House budget. He pointed to Senate plans to vote on a $472 million tax hike tomorrow that expands upon the $392 million tax increase the House passed in April.

He also noted yesterday's state revenue report that showed collections bested expectations by more than $2 billion in April. Patrick administration officials cautioned the figure reflected the year on which the taxes were paid, 2007, and not the coming year. But Jones said it supports his contention that the Democratic-controlled Legislature has its priorities wrong.

"I think clearly there's much more data to suggest we have a spending problem and not a revenue problem," Jones said.

Edward Mason may be contacted at emason@gloucestertimes.com.