At its regular monthly meeting on March 4, 2021, the Board of Library Commissioners granted waivers of the FY2021 Municipal Appropriation Requirement (MAR), and certified the communities below to receive FY2021 State Aid to Public Libraries.
As part of the Waiver application process, municipalities are required to complete a Disproportionate Cut Worksheet to determine whether the cut to the library budget was disproportionate when compared to the overall municipal budget. A cut to the library budget is considered disproportionate when the library budget reduction exceeds the overall municipal budget cut by 10% or more.
Waivers granted to municipalities under the 10% disproportionate cut threshold:
| 1. Adams | 13. Duxbury | 25. Lynn | 37. Quincy |
| 2. Amesbury | 14. Everett | 26. Malden | 38. Salem |
| 3. Ashby | 15. Fall River | 27. Marblehead | 39. Southampton |
| 4. Avon | 16. Framingham | 28. Medfield | 40. Walpole |
| 5. Barnstable | 17. Gill | 29. Montgomery | 41. Waltham |
| 6. Bellingham | 18. Greenfield | 30. Newbury | 42. Ware |
| 7. Beverly | 19. Hardwick | 31. Newton | 43. Warren |
| 8. Boxford | 20. Haverhill | 32. North Adams | 44. West Springfield |
| 9. Brockton | 21. Hopedale | 33. Orange | 45. Weymouth |
| 10. Brookline | 22. Lawrence | 34. Palmer | 46. Windsor |
| 11. Buckland | 23. Leyden | 35. Peabody | 47. Winthrop |
| 12. Dracut | 24. Lowell | 36. Plymouth | 48. Yarmouth |
Waivers granted “with reservation” to municipalities over the 10% disproportionate cut threshold:
For additional information, please see: MBLC Chair Statement on Municipal Funding and certification in the State Aid to Public Libraries Program
| 1. Hanover | library budget cut 12.52% in comparison to overall municipal budget |
| 2. Kingston | library budget cut 12.45% in comparison to overall municipal budget |
| 3. Oxford | library budget cut 18.01% in comparison to overall municipal budget |
| 4. Stoneham | library budget cut 11.35% in comparison to overall municipal budget |