Franklin County and North Quabbin highway departments are about to get a lot more state funding, thanks to additional allocations due to what Sen. Jo Comerford dubbed the “rural factor.”

The Healey-Driscoll administration intends to deliver $100 million in money raised through the Fair Share Amendment through larger Chapter 90 allocations. These funds were generated through the new 4% tax on annual income over $1 million.

“When all of us in western Mass. think about the Fair Share Amendment, we talk about fighting for our fair share,” said state Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield. “This is one of the many ways we have been able to deliver on that.”

This “millionaire’s tax” fund is only allowed to be used for public education and the repair and maintenance of roads, bridges and public transportation, according to a budget brief published by the state. A total of $1 billion was made available for spending due to the Fair Share Amendment in fiscal year 2024, with $333 million going toward a revolving minimum fund balance to be used during times of significant revenue decline.

The $100 million in Fair Share Amendment funds for roads are being distributed according to two formulae. The first $50 million is being doled out using the traditional Chapter 90 formula based on local road mileage (58.33%), population (20.83%) and employment (20.83%). The second $50 million is being distributed in accordance with a new formula based on each municipality’s share of road mileage.

The traditional Chapter 90 formula is known for favoring urban areas over rural communities. Comerford and Blais explained they fought for a road mileage formula to help rural towns get the funding they need.

“The traditional formula needs to be tweaked to make sure rural communities get our fair share,” said Comerford, D-Northampton. “With the additional rural school funding and with this new kind of road funding, the Legislature is saying clearly with actions that they understand that rural communities are different and we need different formulas to help us equitably benefit from public investment.”

Blais said they saw how rural towns can benefit from a formula based on road miles when the Winter Recovery Assistance Program (WRAP) was first administered in 2014. Since then, she and Comerford have fought for additional funding based on this formula. This includes the funds received from the Fair Share Amendment and H.3273, “An Act to Invest in Local Roads.” This bill would function similarly to the funds just received and would provide supplemental funding based on mileage.

Local impact

Each community receives a different amount according to how the two formulas apportion the money. For example, Bernardston received an additional $69,451 from the road mileage formula and $45,098 from the traditional Chapter 90 formula. Orange received an additional $144,676 from the road mileage formula and $100,950 from the traditional Chapter 90 formula.

“It means more road work can get done. It is really a good thing,” said Tom Poissant, Ashfield’s highway superintendent. “The past two years, with the rising cost of materials and labor, we have not been able to cover our mileage goal.”

With these additional funds, Poissant said the town can come closer to meeting its goals of resurfacing 7 miles of unpaved roads annually.

“The Chapter 90 formula has short-changed communities like ours for a long time,” added Athol Highway Superintendent Dick Kilhart.

With the additional funds, Athol will see its Chapter 90 allocation increase by about 50%. The town tries to resurface about a mile of paved road each year, which costs between $600,000 and $800,000, according to Kilhart.

Buckland Town Administrator Heather Butler explained her town will use the money to work on streets that would not typically qualify for grants, though town officials have yet to identify which roads to focus on first.

The apportionments are automatically incorporated into a municipalities’ existing Chapter 90 contract with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, with no further action required by the municipality. Apportionments for all communities are available online at mass.gov/chapter-90-program.

Communities may use Fair Share revenue for construction, preservation and improvement projects that create or extend the life of capital facilities. This includes costs for highway projects and infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists. Projects that are eligible include installing sidewalks, bicycle lanes, new pavement, retaining walkways, crossing signals and other transportation infrastructure features.

“We know the Fair Share money can only go for transportation and education,” Comerford said. “The baseline funding of $100 million extra of this Fair Share money is a sign we are off to a good start. Fair Share is expected to be between $1.6 and $2 billion; I can’t say how it will get funded, but I can tell you I will fight for rural spending.”

Reach Bella Levavi at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.