ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
From left, Nahant Town Administrator Jeff Chelgren, state Rep. Donald Wong and Nahant administrative assistant Mary Ellen Schumann listen to Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito prior to the signing of the community pack at Salem City Hall on Tuesday.
There was a time when city and town officials groused about “unfunded mandates,” rules drawn up by the state requiring communities to take specific actions without giving them the cash to implement the state requirement.
Nahant and Saugus officials were not talking about unfunded mandates on Tuesday when they met Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito at Salem City Hall and signed the agreements for their respective communities.
Defined by Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary as “agreements between parties,” compacts offer the two towns assistance from the state and then … well, it’s a little unclear what the state gets out of the agreements.
A statement attributed to Polito describes the Nahant and Saugus compacts as “partnerships … to make Massachusetts great in every zip code.
Nahant’s deal allows the town to work with state experts to draw up a long-range plan “to properly invest in its infrastructure,” in other words, repair the town. The compacts also provide both towns with consultants without requiring the communities to pay for their expertise.
That’s all well and good but, again, it’s a little unclear how the state benefits from the compacts. Or is it?
The state is well-intentioned in signing compacts with towns and generous in offering consultant services to Nahant and Saugus. But it is hard not to sense veiled criticism behind the language outlining the compact goals.
It’s one thing when town officials and residents stand up and say, “We need to plan better,” or, “Let’s expand our parks system.” It’s different when state officials reach out to a community and say, “Hey, why don’t we help with that planning and open space acquisition.”
Once Nahant’s consultant delivers a completed infrastructure plan, who will foot the bill for the repairs and improvements? Will it be a responsibility that falls squarely on the town property tax rate or will the state, in the spirit of the compact, foot the bill for town long-term improvements?
The same question applies to open space preservation and acquisition. Nahant is arguably land poor or land rich, depending on whether the person providing the definition is buying or selling land. The town is a semi-island. It has open space and acquiring more land may come with a price tag.
Nahant and Saugus officials aren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. But they might ask if the compact they just signed is going to eventually provide money to pay for the improvements proposed in it.
