Local governments and residents should be provided the tools to generate funds to improve transportation and transit opportunities.  See also Implementation Strategy #2, “Strengthen Municipal Finance.”

21.a    MAPC should work with stakeholders to develop legislation that would allow local and regional tax referenda

21.b    Municipalities should make use of District Improvement Financing to help fund infrastructure improvements

Transportation agencies should fund operating personnel and expenses through operating rather than capital budgets.  

Massachusetts needs an immediate source of new revenue that can be used to reduce the maintenance backlog and expand infrastructure to support sustainable land use patterns.  New revenue streams should be diversified, dedicated to transportation so they are stable, reasonably related to transportation uses, and adaptive to increases in materials and labor costs.

Pay-as-you-drive automobile insurance provides discounts based on actual vehicle mileage, with the highest discounts for those who drive the least.  Pay-As-You-Drive pricing can help achieve several public policy goals including fairness, affordability, road safety, consumer savings and choice, and reduced traffic problems. It helps reduce traffic congestion, road and parking facility costs, and environmental impacts. It reduces the need for cross-subsidies currently required to provide “affordable” unlimited-mileage coverage to high-risk drivers.

In order to make the existing commuter rail network more useful, the region needs to develop local transit services that connect employment and housing to commuter rail stations.  These connections would serve local residents, employees, shoppers, visitors, and tourists.  Such services could also connect destinations to each other, increasing transportation options even for those users who are not riding the train.  Employers and businesses have strong incentives to support transit services because they can provide transit access to their location for a much larger population

A quarter of Massachusetts businesses do business outside of the United States.  However, there are many barriers to smooth transnational financial transactions, especially for smaller businesses conducting smaller transactions at branch locations of their financial institution.  These barriers may be a drain on economic growth and may prevent small businesses from fully participating in the global economy.  While federal regulations on international money transfers are beyond the scope of this recommendation, financial institutions need to improve services in order to facili

Micro-businesses and sole proprietorships generally have little need for conventional office and industrial spaces.  Many work out of their own home or studios; others share office space with other small businesses.  A new generation of “virtual” business incubators (such as the Enterprise Center at Salem State College) serve as resource facilities where member businesses access services, meeting space, and training, without necessarily having their desk at that location.  

Small businesses often have a great need for technical assistance and training.  By necessity, entrepreneurs must “multi-task” at nearly every aspect of their business; in doing so, they often find themselves far from their area of expertise, lost in the weeds of finance or contract negotiations.  

One key step to supporting small businesses is to acknowledge their importance in economic development plans.  Many economic development professionals are focused on attracting or retaining corporate employers, which provide economic benefits that are easy to define.  Support for small businesses and entrepreneurs is often harder to define, and it may be harder to measure the outcomes.  

The region’s “creative economy” will be a major driver for growth over the coming decades.  This category includes those industries that have their origin in individual creativity, skill, and talent, the primary products of which are ideas, products, and/or services.  Creative economy industries include architecture and design, business consulting, research, performing and visual arts, advertising, films and media, software development, and education.