The demise of Massachusetts County government?

• Author: Abrahams, Mark D.

"Elect me as county commissioner, and I will end county government for good!" "Elect me, and I will eliminate my job." These are not typical political statements for persons running for elective office, but they have been the theme of recent election campaigns of some Massachusetts local politicians. Massachusetts is not a typical state, however, nor does it have a typical political climate. County government in Massachusetts is in trouble; it may not have many days left.

Approximately 7,500 employees work for the 14 Massachusetts county governments, which spend about $475 million annually. The responsibilities of county government in Massachusetts have decreased steadily over the years. Counties now run the courthouses, the sheriff departments, the county jails, a few hospitals, and little else. County revenues come from the state, fees for registry of deeds, federal reimbursements, tuition receipts from agriculture schools, and the rest from municipal assessments, which are not subject to town meeting or city council appropriation votes. In the town of Framingham, 4 percent of local receipts goes to Middlesex County, a county with a population of nearly 1.4 million - larger than 15 of the 50 states - and an operating budget in excess of $30 million. Suffolk County receives a special appropriation from the City of Boston. A "County Omnibus Bill" passed by the state legislature in 1983 raised $12.5 million to bail out county governments by doubling the tax on the sale of homes.

Massachusetts county governments have a history of fiscal mismanagement, political cronyism, and public distrust. Overspending their accounts and then turning to the state for resources has been a common strategy for some county officials.

The political climate heated up recently with the default of hospital revenue anticipation notes by Middlesex County. This county accumulated about $18 million of debt for operating expenses for the Middlesex County Hospital, which served 35 patients. The county sold the hospital in December 1996 for $4.4 million; however, this was not enough to pay the $4.5 million note due that month and other accumulated debt due July 1997 - $2.8 million hospital and $2.6 million nonhospital borrowing. The county's credit rating was downgraded to junk bond status in December 1996. Middlesex County had no plan to address this issue and became the first Massachusetts political subdivision in memory to default on its debt. The default pushed...