State Officials To Attend Natick Forum On Budget Crisis

NATICK, MA — A Natick group organized around the town's budget dilemma will host a forum on Monday featuring representatives from the state Legislature. The forum will focus on how state and federal aid might play a role locally.

The Protect Natick's Future forum, which will be hosted via Zoom, will feature state Rep. David Linksy, Dennis Giombetti, district liaison for Sen. Karen Spilka and a former Framingham City Councilor, and a delegate from the office of state Sen. Rebecca Rausch.

Natick may see a more than $8 million loss in revenue in the upcoming fiscal year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Town Administrator Melissa Malone has proposed cuts, including possible layoffs.

Natick and communities across Massachusetts are also in the dark about how much state aid will be available this year, making it even harder to predict total revenue losses. State lawmakers have not released a fiscal 2021 budget yet, and may not do so for weeks.

Ultimately, the town Finance Committee will make a recommendation on the fiscal 2021 budget before Town Meeting votes on it. Town Meeting, which will take place remotely, begins on July 7.

The forum begins at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.