At a November public hearing about the Green Line Extension (GLX), many decried the necessity for Somerville to contribute funding as “legalized extortion,” and others deemed the loss of a full community path that would have connected to Boston a “tragedy.”

Mayor Joseph Curtatone has asked the Board of Aldermen to approve a $50 million contribution to the state’s over-budget GLX in order for the project to move forward. The Aldermen will deliberate in the coming weeks, and need to report their decision to MassDOT and the MBTA by Dec. 8.

Cambridge has pledged $25 million to the GLX as well.

The new design will see the community path extend to Washington Street. Lynn Weissman from Friends of the Community Paths said that her group had developed an alternative design within the same budget that could reach the Charles River paths, but MassDOT and MBTA teams have resisted consideration of their design.

Residents urged aldermen and the mayor to fight for the full path, but city officials did not seem confident.

“We have only so much leverage if we want the Green Line to happen,” said Curtatone, who added that this existing proposal is the result of months of negotiations.

Unlike the recently approved Somerville High School funding plan, the city would not need a debt exclusion to pay for the GLX. Instead, the administration would factor GLX payments into the city’s operating budget, and could raise taxes up to the maximum 2.5 percent annually.

“The Green Line will not raise taxes in itself,” Curtatone clarified.

But Alderman President Bill White cautioned that if the city raises taxes to the maximum each year, on top of the high school tax, many residents won’t be able to afford to live here.

“I have nothing against the Green Line,” said resident Joseph Bolduc. “But we can’t keep paying all these taxes.”

City officials countered that the commercial tax base will expand with the Union Square redevelopment, thereby lessening the tax burden on residents.

Somerville may be able to link up to state drainage infrastructure as part of the GLX project to alleviate some legacy flooding issues, though that agreement would be made separately from the GLX project agreement.

“Whenever I see these side agreements, I always wonder how much wiggle room is there for the Commonwealth or the Governor or whoever who wants to back out of it,” White said.

The city is also seeking to collect up to $25 million from developers like US2 who benefit from the Green Line extension. Some residents in attendance were dismayed that the arrangement with developers hadn’t been ironed out yet, but the Mayor said those conversations are ongoing and final details should come in before the Aldermen make their December 8 decision.

“This is an unprecedented ask from the state, so I ask the city to be bolder in negotiations with all developers,” urged resident Tori Antonio.

Most residents who spoke during the public hearing were advocates of the GLX project, but were frustrated by the necessity for municipal contributions.

“It’s disturbing that this is setting a precedent in the state for municipalities paying for state projects,” said resident Barbara Steiner. “It’s not that I don’t want this done, I completely want this done, but I’m just really concerned… It’s appalling to put it on the backs of the people who live here so rich people will have to move in to pay for it.”