Mass House Passes Supplemental Budget with Key Funding for New Bedford Fire Station

BOSTON (WBSM) — New Bedford is one step closer to receiving $1.3 million in funds from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to keep Fire Station 9 open for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Massachusetts House Approves $2.35B Supplemental Budget

The $2.35 billion supplemental state budget passed in the Massachusetts House of Representatives on Wednesday, October 21. Local Representatives Antonio F.D. Cabral (D-New Bedford), Christopher Hendricks (D-New Bedford), Christopher Markey (D-Dartmouth), Mark Sylvia (D-Fairhaven), and Steve Ouellette (D-Westport) all voted in favor of it.

The supplemental budget calls for a $2 million line item for public safety in the Commonwealth, and Governor Maura Healey has committed to providing $1.3 million of that specifically to keep New Bedford Fire Station 9 open.

“The delegation also looks forward to more dialogue about making future funding for public safety more equitable for New Bedford,” the representatives said in a joint release. “The New Bedford legislative delegation is committed to protecting and continuing to fight throughout the legislative process for the well-being and safety of New Bedford residents and its first responders.”

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Navigating New Bedford's $32 Million Budget Shortfall

Mayor Jon Mitchell spoke earlier this year of a $32 million budget shortfall in New Bedford ahead of his annual budget presentation to the city council, and part of his plan to mitigate that was to close down Station 9 to save just under $2 million.

The council pushed back, and after Senator Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) secured $500,000 in additional funding from the Commonwealth, the council wrote up and approved appropriation orders for the remaining $1.3 million, which they had saved as part of their annual “Cut Night” to the city budget.

What's Next: Senate Approval and Long-Term Public Safety Aid

Mitchell returned those appropriation orders unsigned, and then on September 23 announced that Healey had committed to providing $1.3 million in additional state aid to New Bedford to keep the station open. In addition, the plan is to enter New Bedford into the Municipal Public Safety Staffing Program, which would provide additional local aid each year to help keep the station open.

The supplemental budget now moves to the Senate for consideration.