Somerville GLX Funding Bill Receives Key Endorsement

SOMERVILLE, MA – A bill that would allow the City of Somerville to impose fees on developers to pay for its portion of the Green Line Extension was approved by the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government this week, according to the State House News Service. The bill, proposed by Rep. Denise Provost, received a full endorsement Tuesday and was one of 12 to pass through the committee.

If made law, Somerville would be permitted to charge development fees on certain projects to fund the $50 million it pledged to the Green Line Extension. Somerville and neighboring Cambridge agreed to contribute a combined $75 million to the $2.3 billion project.

In June, Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law a bill allowing Somerville to borrow money on favorable terms to make its first $10 million payment, State House News reported.

The Somerville Board of Aldermen in December unanimously approved the $50 million in funding. The vote allowed the city to bond the money toward the project, meaning it will not start to impact tax bills for three to six years, depending on the terms of the bond.

Ahead of the vote, Mayor Curtatone slammed being asked to supply the $50 million but recognized the need for funding and asked aldermen to approve it. Somerville officials said they would continue to seek alternate funding and hoped to "recapture" at least half of the original sum.

Provost's bill will now move on to the Committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling.

Reporting by the State House News Service was used in this story. Photo by Patch Staff