Study: Largest Mass. Cities Don't Get Enough Aid

A new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston says Massachusetts' largest cities are not getting enough state aid under the current formula.

The Boston Fed's New England Public Policy Center says that all cities and towns in Massachusetts have unmet needs the state could help with, but the funding gaps of the 10 biggest cities are disproportionately high.

Mayors from these big cities, like Springfield and Fall River, have complained about being treated unfairly. But politically it's hard to change the state aid formula since other municipalities feel like they'd have to give something up.

The Fed report (Scribd) suggests ways to change the distribution formula that might be more politically feasible, such as distributing incremental aid

http://www.scribd.com/doc/34387979/Boston-Fed-On-State-Aid-To-Cities-And-Towns