Author: Sean Cronin - Senior Deputy Commissioner of Local Services
Every year, new people enter public service for the first time in cities and towns in a variety of roles and positions across the Commonwealth. On behalf of the Division of Local Services (DLS), I want to welcome all of you. To assist with the transition, we dedicate our mid-June edition of City & Town to you, our newly elected or appointed local officials. Below you’ll find a handy crib sheet of links to introductory municipal finance guidance, trainings, data and other helpful resources. Our hope is that those who are new to the field will refer to this edition as needed and those who might have more experience will share it as they see fit. To begin, let’s look at some basics.
- Learn more about DLS by viewing our brief introductory video. To find out more about how DLS can assist you in your role and how our organization interacts with communities across the Commonwealth, view the Meet DLS webinar.
- This year DLS published seasonal updates to assist local officials with certain reporting requirements, municipal responsibilities, and regulatory functions. The seasonal updates are released the first week in June, September, December and March. You can also bookmark our summer resources.
- There are a variety of local option taxes that municipalities can adopt. It's critical that DLS is informed of the adoption of any of these by the municipal clerk. Visit our Local Options page dedicated to this subject to learn more information.
- Proposition 2 ½ votes (e.g., override, underride, debt exclusion, capital exclusion) taken locally, whether they pass or fail, must be entered directly into the DLS Gateway application. Please view the instructional webinar on the DLS website that explains the process.
- Sign up for DLS Alerts or contact us at cityandtown@dor.state.ma.us. Whether it’s announcing new DLS visualization tools that can help your community monitor its fiscal health or Cherry Sheet estimates, our City& Town e-newsletter and Alerts will keep you aware and informed.
- Confirm that your contact information is accurate in the Local Officials Directory (LOD). Municipal clerks play a critical role in updating the Local Officials Directory, so make sure to check with your clerk. For additional information highlighting the importance of the LOD, please read the following Frequently Asked Questions about the Local Officials Directory.
- Bookmark our Municipal Finance Training and Resource Center. From accounting and auditing and assessing to local option taxes and setting tax rates, we offer trainings on a host of topics, including a section specifically dedicated to municipal finance for new local officials. As an example, it’s never too early to start planning for setting the FY25 tax rate; check out the webinar that explains how to complete the Tax Rate Recap.
- Review our Foundations in Municipal Finance for the New Official trainings. These interactive videos provide a comprehensive overview of municipal finance in Massachusetts and cover key concepts important to new local officials or those who seek a better understanding of the subject.
- Know your assigned DLS Bureau of Accounts (BOA) field representative and your Bureau of Local Assessment (BLA) field advisor. If you’re not sure who’s assigned to your community, visit our online staff directory.
- Familiarize yourself with DLS resources such as the municipal glossary, the events calendar, the municipal calendar, and the Legal Index for Municipal Officials.
- Utilize our reports and data visualization tools, including the municipal trend dashboard, community snapshot tool and the average single-family tax bill interactive map.
- Subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Not only are our videos helpful for local officials, they can also serve as an informational tool you can provide to interested residents and taxpayers with questions about subjects such as Proposition 2 ½ and our New Officials playlist.
On behalf of the entire DLS staff, I want to express our sincere appreciation for everything the local officials of Massachusetts do to sustain and support local government. Whether you’re a new select board member, finance official, city councilor, FinComm member or municipal clerk, please take advantage of this information and send any thoughts or suggestions you have on ways we can improve to dlswebcontacts@dor.state.ma.us. Thank you and best of luck in the upcoming fiscal year!
Helpful Resources
City & Town is brought to you by:
Editor: Dan Bertrand
Editorial Board: Marcia Bohinc, Linda Bradley, Sean Cronin, Emily Izzo and Tony Rassias
| Date published: | June 20, 2024 |
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