Mayor Seeks to Establish Local Jobs Trust Fund

Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone would like to see the city establish a trust fund dedicated to local jobs.

The mayor submitted a home rule petition, seeking the creation of a job creation and retention trust, to the Somerville Board of Aldermen on April 11. The request was sent to the Board's Legislative Matters Committee for consideration.

A memo submitted to the Board of Aldermen noted the city was expecting a significant amount of development in the next decade and there was a need to make sure Somerville residents benefited from housing and job opportunities associated with the development.

It said the trust fund would "address employment barriers and occupational skill gaps in the city's labor force and ensure that low and moderate income Somerville residents fully benefit from job opportunities in future development projects."

An announcement from the mayor's office said the fund would pay for things like skills training and the advancement of recommendations from the city's local jobs advisory panel.

The fund's coffers would be filled with a linkage fee associated with large developments in the city, according to the announcement and documents filed with the Board of Aldermen.

In short, it asks that major developments of at least 20,000 square feet pay $1.40 per square foot into the fund—which would mean $28,000 for a 20,000 square-foot project.

The mayor also wants to change the currant linkage fee associated with a similar, already existing, affordable housing trust fund.

Currently, major real estate developments that are at least 30,000 square feet pay $3.91 per square foot into the affordable housing fund. The mayor's office would like to see the payment upped to $5.15 per square foot and the development-size threshold dropped to 20,000 square feet.

In a statement about the initiative, Curtatone said, "By both amending our existing housing linkage fees, and adding linkage fees to jobs and job training, we will ensure that our residents gain the skills and the opportunities to continue to live, work, play and raise a family in Somerville."

Because the request is a home rule petition, it would need to be approved by the state legislature after receiving approval from the Somerville Board of Aldermen.