During the past few months, Massachusetts residents have been subjected to a dizzying array of proposals to increase their taxes, tolls, and fees to close the Commonwealth’s and Worcester’s budget gaps in FY10.

In a recent Wall Street Journal opinion column addressed to President-elect Barack Obama, Joel Klein, Chancellor to the New York City Department of Education and Reverend Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, 1 called attention to the plight of minority students in today’s public schools:

Each year, on the third Tuesday of November, the Worcester City Council goes through the ritual of setting the tax rate for the fiscal year that began on the previous July 1.

In 1830, when Alexis deTocqueville visited America one of the features he found most remarkable about our nation was the vast array of civic associations. “Americans of all ages, all conditions, all minds constantly unite,” he observed.

Office occupancy rates are a key indicator of a downtown area’s economic vitality. This is certainly the case in Worcester, where downtown currently provides about 30% of the city’s commercial tax base, and about 9% of its overall annual tax levy.

During the past several years, many cities and towns in Massachusetts have had to address the problem of insufficient revenues to provide the level of services to which residents had become accustomed.

When the Commonwealth’s taxpayers entrust their public officials with their hard-earned money to provide for their health, safety and welfare, they have the right to expect that it will be spent efficiently, effectively, and fairly.

Last month, Governor Patrick released his eagerly awaited Readiness Project report, a ten year plan for public education, which is the product of a yearlong effort by a 168 member planning group and 13 sub committees.

Whenever The Research Bureau issues a report or presents a forum, it usually makes headlines – as well it should because that is our mission – to conduct independent, non­partisan research that will promote informed public debate and decision­making.

Cities and towns across the Commonwealth are struggling to maintain services in the face of an economic downturn, increases in fixed costs such as health insurance and pensions, and declining revenue from the lottery (which constitutes a substantial part of state revenues a located to cities and towns).