Municipal officials, fire chiefs and municipal associations told the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security that cities and towns across the Commonwealth face large, unmet needs to replace and upgrade municipal and public‑safety buildings.

Representatives from Amherst and Montague described century‑old public‑works buildings and undersized fire and EMS stations. "Our DPW staff are an important part of our first responders," Lynn Grissner, president of the Amherst Town Council, told the committee, describing a DPW facility that occupies a retrofitted trolley barn built about 1915. Montague's assistant town administrator, Chris Nolan Zeller, described projected five‑year capital needs for several municipal buildings that exceed local budgets and said smaller towns lack capacity to take on major projects.

The Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts and the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts urged creation of a dedicated authority modeled on the Massachusetts School Building Authority and the Board of Library Commissioners. Chief Christopher Norris and Chief James Young described how many stations lack decontamination spaces, gender‑separated facilities, adequate ventilation and apparatus storage and that small towns supplement operating budgets with fundraisers. "If we have our emergency responders out there conducting their own fundraising . . . how are these communities ever gonna come up with a financial means for the capital expense of a new public safety building?" Norris asked.

The Massachusetts Municipal Association, STAM (small town administrators), and the Massachusetts Mayors Association also testified in support. Adam Chapdelaine of the Massachusetts Municipal Association described the bills as modeling an authority and fund after the MSBA, while Jeremy Marcette (Sherborn town administrator) and Mayor Mike Nicholson (Gardner) said the proposal would help communities with limited borrowing capacity and staff. Nicholson recounted a 2024 windstorm that ripped roofing from a Gardner fire station and said an addition could cost tens of millions.

Proponents proposed a dedicated funding source in testimony: Representative Natalie Blay and Senator Jo Comerford and other witnesses suggested dedicating one‑third of marijuana excise tax revenue to a municipal and public‑safety building fund; testimony also referenced an auditor's 2021 report recommending state assistance for rural infrastructure. Linda Dunlavy (Franklin Regional Council of Governments) said the bills reserve a minimum of 10% of funding for rural communities and prioritize environmental‑justice and lower‑capacity towns.

Committee members asked about the scale of need and prioritization. Fire chiefs and municipal representatives said statewide needs likely total in the high hundreds of millions or billions, and that an authority would need a prioritization formula to weigh need, ability to pay and regional equity. Witnesses offered technical assistance and suggested the authority would administer grants or matching funds and provide planning and project‑management support.

No committee vote was taken; proponents asked the committee to report the bills favorably so further drafting and prioritization rules can be developed. Several witnesses encouraged the committee to consider a dedicated revenue stream to sustain the program.