City & Town Newsletters

This article reviews municipal enterprise fund data submitted to the DLS Bureau of Accounts focusing on current fund types, an explanation of budgeted costs and revenues, and fiscal year results of operation.

This article provides guidance for new local officials on the importance of financial policies, capital planning, and multi-year forecasting in ensuring the financial health and sustainability of their municipalities. It emphasizes how these tools foster transparency, accountability, and strategic decision-making, ultimately leading to responsible governance and community trust.

This article is part of the 2025 New Officials edition. In it, the Financial Management Resources Bureau highlights the importance of establishing robust financial policies, developing a comprehensive capital plan, and implementing a multi-year forecast in order to ensure a community's strong fiscal condition.

Next issue of reviewing areas of fiscal stress using a municipalities debt burden.

This article provides valuable tips and guidance on navigating the fiscal year-end processes, including submitting free cash for certification and setting tax rates for the upcoming fiscal year. It emphasizes the importance of accurate documentation, clear appropriations, and proactive planning to streamline the financial procedures in municipalities.

Annual analysis of the property levies, assessed values and tax rates.

This article provides information on the Massachusetts State House Notes Program, a convenient, no-cost note certification procedure for the issuance of short-term debt, long-term serial, and refunding notes by a governmental entity. Administered by the Public Finance Section of the Bureau of Accounts (BOA), the program provides an alternative to the certification of notes procedure by commercial banks.

This article provides an update on the FY2025 assessment information from the DLS Bureau of Local Assessment. It contains a brief overview of the assessment certification process and data based on municipal submissions as of the end of November of this year.

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.