DLS City & Town

Lt. Governor Polito Launches Public Awareness Campaign to Prevent Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence

Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito

As Chair of the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence—in partnership with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Massachusetts State Legislature—I am pleased to announce that the Commonwealth is launching its first statewide campaign in almost twenty years to promote healthy relationships among middle and high schoolers. The campaign will officially launch the week of May 26, 2019. Over the last year, I spent time in regions around the Commonwealth soliciting input from leaders in the community around the issues of prevention, specifically targeting youth, in order to address the root causes of sexual and domestic violence in Massachusetts.

The Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence also created a subcommittee of experts to work with the selected vendor, MORE Advertising. MORE Advertising conducted extensive formative research to understand the issues and pressures that young people are facing with regard to friendships and relationships, as well as ensuring that the message developed was appropriate and engaging. In addition to the subcommittee of experts, MORE Advertising convened a youth advisory group from across the state, which included a diverse mix of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation in order to continue to learn from the youth as the campaign developed.

From this extensive research, as a group we determined that the most effective way to deliver the message is through short videos with modern animations conveying a clear message on social media platforms that teens are using every day. Using the tagline, “RESPECTfully,” this campaign focuses on promoting healthy relationships and confronting the issues around healthy boundaries and behaviors while communicating key components of respect and honesty through animated videos on social media platforms. The messaging will target youth between the ages of 12-18, as well as their parents, caregivers, and adults involved in youth-serving organizations.

Our hope is to integrate this campaign into our communities so that Massachusetts youth are well-equipped to navigate new and developing relationships and friendships in safe and healthy ways.

Healthy relationships start with us—we must provide our children with the tools they need to succeed. We will also be asking your school committees to adopt a resolution to become a RESPECTful Community, and we look for your support in adopting this measure.

Culvert and Small Bridges Working Group Seeks Span of Suggestions

Sean Cronin - Senior Deputy Commissioner of Local Services

One of the things I most enjoy about my role at the Division of Local Services is the opportunity to work with our state and municipal partners on a myriad of issues that communities face across the Commonwealth. An example of this is serving as a designee on the Culvert and Small Bridge Working Group. This working group was established in 2018, the product of an amendment from Senator Adam Hinds to the FY19 state budget. Our purpose is to review regulations and make recommendations regarding the repair or replacement of Massachusetts’ culverts and small bridges. (i.e., spans less than 20 feet). Specifically, we must:

• Identify and evaluate the costs and benefits of existing environmental rules and regulations, engineering standards, and permitting processes, and their impact on the replacement or repair of deteriorated or substandard culverts and small bridges;

• Make recommendations to implement cost-effective policies, procedures, and guidelines for the replacement or repair of such structures, in an expedited manner; and

• Make improvements in storm resiliency and natural resource connectivity, which consider degrees of risk, ecological value, cost, and efficient permitting.

It’s estimated that Massachusetts has more than 25,000 known culverts. Many of these culverts are reaching the end of their service lifespan; are damaged, undersized, or otherwise inadequate; and require timely repair or replacement. Many communities throughout the Commonwealth, and small towns in particular, struggle with regulatory hurdles and engineering costs associated with maintaining or replacing this type of infrastructure. Moreover, municipal officials and public works employees may lack the expertise required to navigate the new environmental standards for stream crossings and climate resiliency. Climate change is an increasing concern for communities when dealing with culvert and small bridge infrastructure, as they need to accommodate increased storm flows, frequency, and flood levels at these locations.

The Small Bridge Grant Program, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and the Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance Grant Program, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, were created to assist municipalities with direct funding for small bridge and culvert projects. Even with these limited resources, municipalities would require a significant investment of financial and technical resources to address the total culvert repair and replacement need.

As part of our ongoing efforts, the Culvert and Small Bridge Working Group is soliciting input from stakeholders to inform its final report to the Legislature. Let us know:

• What challenges have you faced in repairing or replacing culverts and/or small bridges in your communities?

• What opportunities do you see for improvements to engineering standards, permitting processes, or funding availability for these types of projects?

We want to hear from as many communities as possible, so please send your comments, suggestions, and responses to the above questions regarding culvert or small bridge repair or replacement. Emails should be sent to massdotenvironmental@dot.state.ma.usby May 24, 2019. Please include “Culvert Working Group” in the subject line of the email. Thanks for your feedback!

A Few Helpful Notes on Property Tax Exemption Reimbursement Forms

Donnette Benvenuto - Municipal Databank

It’s that time of year again! The landing page of the Misc Forms tab in Gateway has some tips to help local officials fill out their Exemption Reimbursements. We’ve also compiled a few answers below to some of the most common issues communities encounter.

Can you unlock my MDM-1 Form?

It may not be locked at all. Have the Paraplegic and Veterans Exemption forms been submitted? If not, that’s the problem. Submitting those will make the MDM-1 editable. Once the forms have been submitted, log out of Gateway and log back in to ensure the forms updated properly. Still can’t edit it? Send us an email atdatabank@dor.state.ma.us or give us a call at 617.626.2384. We’ll be happy to help.

When is my MVE Reimbursement Form due?

Not until October 2019 – you can include all exemptions (that you haven’t previously submitted) from January 2018 to August 2019. Please do not submit your form early. Wait until your community has received all of its commitments from the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Additional Questions?

Please feel free to contact us at databank@dor.state.ma.us.