Julie Brown

Dear Chair and Committee Members, I am writing to express opposition to HB 1649, which would prohibit municipalities from appropriating or spending taxpayer funds to nonprofit organizations, except through competitive grants or contracts. While transparency and accountability for public funds are essential, this bill, as written, could have serious unintended consequences for local communities, particularly regarding lake protection and management. Many local lake associations are nonprofit organizations that rely on municipal appropriations approved through warrant articles or budget lines to carry out critical work that benefits the entire community. These efforts include water quality monitoring, lake restoration projects, and aquatic invasive species prevention, monitoring, and management—services most municipalities do not have the staff capacity or technical expertise to provide. Because this work is often volunteer-driven and does not always fit within traditional procurement or bidding models, eliminating the ability for municipalities to support nonprofits through direct appropriations could force these organizations to scale back or discontinue essential programs. The public would lose access to services that protect natural resources, property values, and public health. WWA supports transparency and accountability, and we believe there is a responsible way to fund nonprofit partnerships. The bill should be amended to allow municipalities to appropriate funds to nonprofits through warrant articles or budget items when the public purpose is clearly stated, with basic accountability measures in place, including written agreements, proper recordkeeping, and public reporting of how funds are spent. We urge the committee to consider these important public benefits and to amend HB 1649 to preserve the ability for municipalities to support mission-aligned nonprofit organizations that serve the community. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Julie Brown Executive Director Wentworth Watershed Association