Local sites and celebrations are getting a boost in the Commonwealth’s newly passed $56 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2024.
In Concord, $15,000 is earmarked for the construction of an all persons accessible trail at Mass Audubon’s Brewster’s Woods Wildlife Sanctuary. The budget also directs $5,000 to the Hugh Cargill Trust, which assists town residents in times of financial need.
Additionally, the 14th Middlesex District will receive $1 million toward planning the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
“This is a budget that delivers for the residents of Acton, Carlisle, Chelmsford and Concord,” state Rep. Simon Cataldo (D-Concord) said in a statement. “[It] includes strong support for top priorities in our district, including free school meals, special education funding, green infrastructure and reimbursement for communities transporting students living in emergency shelters to school.”
The overall budget includes $190 million in funding for Rental Assistance for Families in Transition, $180 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, $111 million for programs for unhoused individuals and $107 million for Housing Authority subsidies.
Combined funding for environmental and climate-related items in the 2024 budget is $700 million. That includes $25 million for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center for continued development of the clean energy industry, $25 million for food security program grants and $10 million for climate adaptation and preparedness.
