Regional planning agencies seek protection from retroactive state retirement payments

Representatives of the Old Colony Planning Council and the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies told the Joint Committee on Public Service that legislation is needed to prevent retroactive retirement contributions from jeopardizing regional planning agencies.

Mary Waldron, executive director of the Old Colony Planning Council, said staffing at regional planning agencies has remained flat while demand has grown, and that the agencies are severely revenue-constrained. She told the committee that municipal assessments in the Old Colony region total about $160,000 a year and are limited by Proposition 2½; federal overhead caps further constrain the agencies’ ability to absorb additional employer-retirement costs.

“The filing of this legislation Senate 1805 and House 2889 aims to protect the commonwealth's regional planning agencies by ensuring that we are not held liable for these payments and are able to continue our work on behalf of our communities,” Waldron said, asking for committee support.

Jeff Walker, co-chair of the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies and executive director of the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SERPED), told the committee the 13 regional planning agencies serve all 351 cities and towns and that seven agencies are currently members of the state retirement system. He said requests for retroactive payments began about 12 years ago and that obligating agencies to pick up decades of employer contributions could force closures. “If suddenly obligated 50 plus years in, to pick up those employer contributions…it could require quite a number of us to close our doors,” Walker said.

Proponents asked the committee to favorably report S.1805 and H.2889. No committee vote was recorded in the provided transcript.