City & Town Newsletters

This article provides recommendations for local officials submitting available appropriation information into Gateway through Page 4 of the Tax Rate Recap.

This article discusses the importance of utilizing the "Financial Indicators Dashboard" developed by the Financial Management Resource Bureau to help cities and towns plan for the future by analyzing financial and demographic trends, informing policy decisions, and setting realistic financial goals for long-term stability.

This article is a helpful guide for local officials presenting the annual budget season. It provides a helpful roadmap of suggestions and best practices that foster communication and engagement for policymakers and taxpayers as cities and towns craft their fiscal year budgets.

Importance of municipal governments to encourage professional development for their municipal employees.

The article discusses the importance of managing reserves as a financial strategy for communities, particularly in Massachusetts, and contrasts traditional views of reserves as savings with a new perspective that frames them as a risk management tool or insurance. It emphasizes the need for communities to adopt a risk-aware approach to reserves management, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative risk analysis to better prepare for future uncertainties and justify reserve levels to the public.

Financial Management Resource Bureau guidance on enterprise accounting for indirect costs.

Financial Management Resource Bureau provides background on two programs that could provide property tax relief, the senior work-off an veterans work-off programs.

This article presents the benefits of implementing a Capital Improvement Plan as a blueprint for planning a community's capital expenditures. A Capital Improvement Plan is a strategic tool that outlines the municipality’s long-term infrastructure needs along with its financial capacity to achieve them.

This article highlights the importance of regular tri-board meetings in towns that bring together three key policymaking boards, the select board, school committee, and finance or advisory committee.

This article provides an understanding of municipal revenue as a key component of local budgeting. It highlights the four primary revenue sources for cities and towns with a focus on the strategic use of these revenue streams.