• This page, Local Finance Commonwealth Fellowship – Host Community Partnerships, is   offered by
  • Division of Local Services

Local Finance Commonwealth Fellowship – Host Community Partnerships

Information for Massachusetts cities and towns interested in serving as host communities for the Local Finance Commonwealth Fellowship

Table of Contents

About the program

Up to 30 community college students from across Massachusetts will have the opportunity to participate in a full-time, paid internship sponsored by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that provides both career preparation, via a training program managed by the Division of Local Services (DLS) and supported by both the Massachusetts Collectors & Treasurers Association (MCTA) and the Massachusetts Municipal Auditors' & Accountants' Association (MMAAA), and a work-based learning experience, via partnerships with cities and towns who will serve as host communities.

How Fellows are trained

Local Finance Commonwealth Fellows will undergo an intensive 4-week training program with a curriculum developed by DLS, MCTA and MMAAA that will introduce them to local government through online trainings and formal instruction focusing primarily on core Massachusetts municipal finance concepts, practices and procedures. Upon completion of the introductory training, Local Finance Commonwealth Fellows will:

  • Obtain a comprehensive overview of municipal government including the differing roles and functions of local officials and their relation to one another
  • Appreciate the budgetary process in both practical and policy terms
  • Comprehend and communicate the principles and practices of sound municipal financial management
  • Utilize online tools to access and compare important data and metrics

Once the Fellows have demonstrated a general grasp of relevant concepts and related subject matter, they will be partnered with real-world practitioners in city and town halls within their geographic region where they will glean a clearer appreciation for and understanding of the skills and dedication necessary to support local government budgeting and finance operations.

Benefits to Host Communities

Host communities will provide critical hands-on experience demonstrating the practical application of core municipal finance concepts. Host communities are expected to provide an enriching learning environment that provides exposure to all the community’s finance offices and operations as available, thereby exhibiting how each work as part of the core financial management team. Examples of tasks, functions and assignments host communities will expose Local Finance Commonwealth Fellows to include::

Budgeting/Capital planning Payroll Warrant preparation
Cash reconciliation Cash management Tax title process
Balance sheet preparation Batch management Posting of receipts
Tax Recap preparation Dissolvements of betterments and liens Procurement-to-payment process
Schedule A preparation Tax classification Property Tax billing
End of year processing Financial systems Abatement reconciliation
Receivables reconciliation Debt management Financial forecasting

 

The Local Finance Commonwealth Fellowship is designed to create a mutually beneficial dynamic between its student participants and their host communities. Therefore, host participation and time commitments are flexible. Multiple communities may serve as co-hosts to an individual Fellow based on geographic and scheduling considerations. In addition to experiential learning, the primary goal of the Local Finance Commonwealth Fellowship is to allow potential future public servants the opportunity to discover a rewarding career in municipal government.

For interested cities and towns

If your community is interested in learning more about this exciting collaborative program that aims to build a municipal finance pipeline, please contact DLS Senior Deputy Commissioner Sean Cronin at croninse@dor.state.ma.us.

To share or save this information, download the Host Community Expectations as a PDF.

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