Tell Massachusetts Policy Makers to Keep Their Priorities Straight
Local Resources Are Limited. Priorities Matter.
Supporting responsible local spending that protects schools, infrastructure, public safety, and essential community services. Local communities operate within real financial constraints. That’s why local leaders must focus taxpayer dollars on the most pressing priorities: roads, bridges, schools, parks and recreation, and other essential government services.
Join our campaign for smart and transparent use of taxpayer dollars in your community.
Focused on What Matters Most
Roads & Bridges
Maintaining infrastructure that connects our communities.
Public Schools
Ensuring schools remain strong and well-supported.
Government Services
Promoting responsible budgeting and planning.
Parks & Public Spaces
Protecting community assets families rely on.
The Problems
SOUTHWICK
In Southwick, the town recently voted against issuing a $16 million bond to build out a municipal broadband project. Despite voters making their voice clear, the Select Board plans to push through a smaller-scale project using existing funds. Although the smaller-scale project was proposed in June 2025, the project remains in the “contract phase” as of February 2026. This is even with existing funds, showing the slow progress (if it can even be called “progress”) and raising additional questions about the timeline and long-term viability of the effort.
LONGMEADOW
In Longmeadow, balancing the town’s budget each year has become difficult as the cost of maintaining current services continues to rise. The town has increased property taxes, cut budgets, and relied more heavily on bonding to fund essential projects, including approving a debt exclusion for a new middle school project totaling around $151.6 million, with taxpayers responsible for roughly $96–97 million after state reimbursement. Meanwhile, the fiber project has reportedly grown from roughly $25 million to $30 million. With multiple financial commitments happening at the same time, residents continue raising concerns about costs.
CAMBRIDGE
In Cambridge, funding concerns have left City Council members frustrated over the inability to fund new programs for residents. Despite this, Cambridge is still considering bonding nearly $200 million to build a government-owned broadband network. Taking on a project of this size would represent a major financial commitment at a time when other funding priorities remain unresolved. The city should focus on funding essential programs and infrastructure instead of pursuing this unnecessary and costly initiative.
HOLYOKE
In Holyoke, pressure has continued to mount as the city works to keep closer track of its spending amid rising costs and growing budget concerns. This comes after Holyoke lost nearly $100,000 due to an inability to promptly recover owed funds, the result of a dysfunctional finance department. These financial management challenges have raised broader concerns about oversight and accountability during uncertain economic times. This is unacceptable from a city that should be protecting its residents and ensuring responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
BOURNE
In Bourne, town officials have been struggling to close a $1.9 million gap in the town's budget and have been considering either cutting funding for education and health services or raising taxes to generate new revenue. At the same time, town officials have proposed a digital equity plan that recommends building duplicative broadband infrastructure, which would require tens of millions of dollars of additional taxpayer investments. Bourne’s leaders should prioritize the urgent needs of the town, not projects that will further the burden on taxpayers.
WEST SPRINGFIELD
In West Springfield, the town has continued to fund its initiatives by increasing property and other local taxes on residents. These tax hikes are largely driven by concerns over the town’s growing debt. This follows the decision to bond $11 million for the construction of a municipal broadband network, a project that has faced ongoing delays and complications. Little progress has been made on this project, even though it has been nearly two years since the town decided to take the risk. Not even half the town’s fiberhoods have been connected.