MassDOT Online Vehicle Census Dashboard

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BOSTON?— The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced the launch of a new online dashboard, the Massachusetts Vehicle Census (MVC),?the first public dataset that joins information about how much vehicles are being driven with information about the vehicles themselves, including vehicle type, vehicle use, fuel classification, and the municipality the vehicle is garaged in. 

The Massachusetts Vehicle Census is a resource for the public providing information regarding vehicle usage, baseline data on the total number of vehicles available, and mileage accrual.  The  data now available to the public will support conversations regarding how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

"Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll have said the climate crisis is our biggest challenge, and they want us to meet this moment with innovation and urgency.  This new dashboard is going to be a significant resource to increase the public conversation about steps we should be taking,"?said Transportation Secretary and CEO Gina Fiandaca. "Data is a powerful tool, and the new Massachusetts Vehicle Census has accurate and timely information on the types of vehicles registered in Massachusetts, whether they are gas, electric or hybrid, and where the vehicles are town by town.? We are grateful to the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission for helping us develop the dashboard and believe the information on it will help increase the public conversation around ways to achieve our climate goals." 

The Massachusetts Vehicle Census, with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) regarding the state’s vehicle fleet, fulfills the legislative requirements established in the 2022 climate and clean energy bill (Chapter 170 of the Acts of 2022). MassDOT worked in collaboration with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) in the development of this resource. 

The public can view the dataset and then filter data geographically by municipality and metropolitan planning organization (MPO), as well as by selected characteristics about vehicles. The dashboard is available at?this link, and the data is available for download. 

The new dashboard supports the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s commitment to taking steps to combat climate change.? The Administration recently created the position of Climate Chief, a new cabinet-level position responsible for driving climate policy across every agency and ensuring that climate change is considered in all relevant decision-making. Massachusetts is the first state in the nation to establish such a position at the cabinet level.? 

Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer will be monitoring the progress of the administration’s cross-agency climate work to ensure that municipal leaders, labor, and those disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis have a seat at the table. She will play an integral role in putting Massachusetts on track to meet the administration’s ambitious climate goals.? 


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Pittsfield Council to See $216M FY25 Budget, Up 5%

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Peter Marchetti has proposed a $216 million budget for fiscal year 2025, a 5 percent increase from the previous year.

Budget season will kick off on Monday with a special meeting of the City Council containing several financial items, one being an order to raise and appropriate $216,155,210 for the city's operating budget. This begins the council's process of departmental spending deliberations with a budget adoption before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.

This is about a $10 million hike from FY24's $205,584,497 budget.

Early in the term, the council supported a divisive petition requesting a budget that is "close to level-funded" due to concerns about tax increases. This would come with cuts to employment and city services, Marchetti warned, but said the administration was working to create a proposal that is "between level funded and a level service funded."

When the School Committee OK'd a $82.8 million spending plan, he revealed that the administration "couldn't get to a level service funded budget."

The Pittsfield Police Department budget is proposed to rise 4 percent from $14,364,673 in FY24 to $14,998,410, an increase of about $614,000. A 2.5 percent increase is proposed for the Department of Public Services, rising about $287,000 from $11,095,563 in FY24 to $11,382,122.

Marchetti also submitted a Five Year Capital Improvement Plan for fiscal years 2025-2029 that he called a "roadmap for the future."

A public hearing is planned for May 13.

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