West Springfield Awarded $132,900 Community Mitigation Fund
Published on August 19, 2026
WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA — The Town of West Springfield is pleased to announce it has been awarded $132,900 through the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s Fiscal Year 2027 Community Mitigation Fund (CMF), in accordance with M.G.L. c. 23K, §61 and the FY2027 Community Mitigation Fund Guidelines.
The grant will support personnel costs associated with the Town’s continued public-safety response to impacts related to the operation of MGM Springfield. Funding will help sustain additional staffing in the West Springfield Police Department, Fire/EMS Department, and emergency dispatch operations. Specifically, the award will help offset salary-related costs for eight firefighter/EMS personnel, four police patrol officers, and three dispatchers.
The Town’s FY2027 application identifies these positions as ongoing public-safety staffing added in response to increased calls for service and other impacts following the opening of MGM Springfield. The grant funding will be used for eligible FY2027 costs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
“Maintaining strong police, fire, EMS, and dispatch staffing is essential to protecting the safety and quality of life of our residents, businesses, and visitors,” said Mayor William C. Reichelt. “We are grateful for this Community Mitigation Fund award, which will help West Springfield continue meeting the increased public-safety demands experienced in our community.”
The Expanded Gaming Act created the Community Mitigation Fund to help communities and governmental entities offset costs associated with the construction and operation of gaming facilities. Since 2015, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has awarded approximately $79.5 million to support eligible transportation, community-planning, workforce-development, and public-safety initiatives in communities near Massachusetts casinos.
Beginning in FY2027, the CMF offers Municipal and Regional grants across several categories, including community planning, gambling harm reduction, public safety, regional planning, regional public safety, specific gaming-establishment impacts, transportation, and workforce development.
West Springfield’s award falls under the Public Safety category. The Town’s application notes that increased traffic can contribute to congestion, crashes, and vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian conflicts. It also recognizes that casinos and hospitality-related businesses can create added law-enforcement and emergency-service demands, including pressures related to certain criminal activity. These impacts place additional demand on police, fire/EMS, and dispatch services.
The Town has added public-safety personnel since MGM Springfield opened, increasing firefighter/EMT staffing from 48 to 56, police patrol officers from 60 to 71, and dispatchers from five to eight between the FY2017 and FY2026 budgets. The CMF award will help reduce, though not eliminate, the local operating-budget burden associated with maintaining these necessary service levels.
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