A Good Deal?

The Mitt Romney local aid picture got a little clearer over the weekend, when it became certain that Romney's 17 percent increase is for non-education aid. We're still unsure if the 17 percent is across the board or will be doled out in different increments, but here are some numbers to chew on:

According to the state Department of Revenue, Fitchburg received $8.4 million in lottery aid -- the main source of local funding -- this year. A 17 percent increase would boost that number to $9.8 million next year. The city also received $214,000 in "additional assistance," a program Romney tried to eliminate a few years ago and an area that really should help Fitchburg more than it current does in our opinion. If Romney's proposal extends to additional assistance, it would be $250,000 next year.

Finally, the city's total number in non-education aid for this year is $9.7 million. That includes senior, veteran, library, whatever other funding that comes from the state that's not school related. A 17 percent increase would put next year's funding at $11.3 million.

We'll just stick with the lottery aid for now, which seems the most likely to be reality when the governor's budget is released late this month. Romney's flat 17 percent increase would mean an extra $1.4 million for the city, which closely matches the budget gap for this year. While that's nice, it doesn't take into account increased costs next year. Salaries go up, health care gets more expensive, and so on.

House leadership is already grumbling that Romney's 17 percent isn't likely. Fitchburg officials and legislators need to do their damndest to make sure the 17 percent is secure, and also find a way to get a few bucks in the process. A tall order, but at least Romney has created a starting point.