EACH YEAR on July 1, Massachusetts cities and towns must implement a new budget. The City of Worcester’s Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) budget takes effect on July 1, 2020.

EACH YEAR on July 1, Massachusetts cities and towns must implement a new budget. The City of Worcester’s Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) budget took effect on July 1, 2018.

EACH YEAR on July 1, Massachusetts cities and towns must implement a new budget. The City of Worcester’s Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) budget takes effect on July 1, 2018. Municipal budgets must balance—expenditures cannot exceed revenues.

In order to further the Worcester City Council's deliberations on tax policy, The Research Bureau is pleased to present a White Paper on criteria for consideration in preparation of annual tax rate determinations and alternatives to secure a more equitable single tax rate.

In Massachusetts, municipalities have limited tools to entice businesses to locate and expand in a weak marketplace. The most frequently used alternative is the Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP) and its tax increment financing (TIF) initiative.

Since 1984, the City of Worcester has set residents against businesses in an annual duel over property tax rates. As municipal budgets continue to grow, a zero-sum game exists in which a decrease in taxes on one property class necessitates an increase in taxes on another.

The Research Bureau offers its annual Breaking Down the Budget: Questions to Consider - a summary and analysis of the City of Worcester and Worcester Public Schools Fiscal Year 2017 Budgets, which go into effect on July 1, 2016.

Each July 1, the City of Worcester and Worcester Public Schools begin a new fiscal year. Who sets the priorities and how is the budget developed? How much money are we really talking? Read Breaking Down the Budget: Questions to Consider to improve your understanding of the City’s FY16 budget.

Each July 1, the City of Worcester and Worcester Public Schools begin a new fiscal year. Who sets the priorities and how is the budget developed?

This report looks at Worcester's FY14 budget of $563 million and suggest how Worcester can continue to balance its budget while facing increasing school, healthcare, and pension system costs.