City & Town Newsletters

This article provides an update on the FY2025 Community Preservation state match distribution. It highlights data related to the trust distribution amounts and links to important calculation information and previous years' distribution.

This article reviews the Fiscal Year 2025 statewide average single-family tax bill. It provides data and analysis including single-family tax bills for Massachusetts communities, comparisons by region, and statewide historical trends.

This article provides an analysis of Fiscal Year 2025 property levies, assessed values and tax rates. It compares FY2024 and FY2025 tax levies and assessed values and then provides FY2025 statistics. It also identifies communities close to their FY2025 levy limits and ceilings. Finally, it reports on tax rates and shifts between property classes.

Article relating to a borrowing option available which is both convenient and provided at no-cost, and has been around since 1911. The DLS State House Notes program provided by the Bureau of Accounts.

This article is part of the 2025 New Officials edition. In it, the Senior Deputy Commissioner of Local Services provides an introduction to helpful DLS tools and informational resources for newly elected and appointed local officials.

This article is part of the 2025 New Officials edition. In it, the Bureau of Accounts provides helpful guidance and resources to new accountants and other finance officials.

This article is part of the 2025 New Officials edition of City & Town. In it, the Bureau of Local Assessment provides helpful guidance and resources to new municipal assessors.

The clerk is an integral part of the municipal management team and a central information point for residents. This article provides the clerk with guidance on interacting with DLS.

This article provides guidance to assist local officials in generating a comprehensive budget document that lays out the upcoming budget proposal within the context of the community’s fiscal condition.

This article provides guidance to assist local officials in budgeting, costing and forecasting salary and wage costs by establishing a position control spreadsheet.