Sen. Lewis and Rep. Lipper-Garabedian Secure $170,000 for Local Wakefield Priorities in State Budget

BOSTON—State Senator Jason Lewis and State Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian are pleased to announce that they secured $170,000 for various local priorities in Wakefield as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Massachusetts state budget.

The FY26 state budget, totaling $61 billion, is fiscally responsible while delivering significant levels of investment in public K-12 education, local aid for cities and towns, transportation and infrastructure projects, healthcare, early education and childcare, housing programs, and more. The budget also updates the law to require that residential broker fees are paid by the party that reaches out to the broker, ensuring the fee agreements worked out between a landlord and broker are not passed on to a tenant.

Within the budget, Senator Lewis and Representative Lipper-Garabedian secured funding for the following projects in Wakefield:

• $75,000 for heating and cooling renovations on the top floors of the McCarthy Senior Center.
• $50,000 for upgrades to the softball field at Mapleway Field.
• $25,000 for a pollinator garden.
• $20,000 for ADA accessibility upgrades at the Albion Cultural Exchange.

The Legislature also allocated $9.4 million to support Wakefield Public Schools and $4.2 million of Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) for Wakefield to use as they see fit in their general budget.

“I’m proud that this budget, passed with bipartisan support, will deliver critical resources for our public schools and communities, and will make our state more affordable for working families with significant investments in childcare, housing, and healthcare,” said Senator Jason Lewis. “I’m especially pleased that we were able to secure funding for the McCarthy Senior Center and other local Wakefield priorities.”

“The FY26 Budget is a powerful statement of our values as a Commonwealth at a time of unparalleled and astonishing federal executive branch actions that undermine our civil rights, civil liberties, and safety,” said Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian. “In Massachusetts, we recognize the value of supporting public education, investing in a more reliable public transportation system, protecting the right to safe health care, and aiding local non-profits that do critical work in our communities. I’m additionally glad to secure $170 thousand in local earmarks with the Wakefield delegation that prioritize these values and support Wakefield residents.”

The FY26 state budget received final passage from the House of Representatives and Senate on June 30, 2025, and was signed into law by Governor Maura Healey on July 4, 2025.