Marchetti Defends Pittsfield Tax Rates in Advance of FY25 Budget

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Peter Marchetti defended the city's tax rate on Tuesday, asking residents to look at all of the figures before making a judgment.

While Pittsfield ranked the highest tax rate countywide in fiscal 2024, the average bill ranked 10th. The administration also provided data showing that there has been a 37.9 percent increase in the value of single-family homes from FY20 to FY24 and a 6.4 percent decrease in the residential tax rate during this period.

"When we continue to hear about how we're comparing to other communities and we've heard it several times that jeez, we're the highest tax bills in Berkshire County, I think using the data from (the Department of Revenue) and (the Division of Local Services) we can prove that that is not necessarily the case," Marchetti said during a joint City Council and School Committee meeting.

In FY24, the residential tax rate was $18.45 per $1,000 of valuation and the average home was assessed at $268,000, making the average tax bill nearly $5,000 annually. The mayor plans to submit a proposed FY25 budget to the council on May 14.

Early in the term, the City Council supported a petition from Councilor at Large Kathy Amuso requesting a budget that is "close to level-funded" due to concerns about tax increases. Marchetti said even if the administration were to provide a level-funded budget, he would still be standing in front of the body in December asking for a tax increase.

The potential impact of a level-funded budget would be:

• the city not being able to renew its Massachusetts Municipal Association membership.
• the closure of a fire station on a rotating basis due to a reduction in overtime
• a loss of 11 police officers due to a reduction of overtime
• a reduction of five Highway Department employees and two Parks Department employees
• a reduction of the building inspector's administrative assistant
• the reduction of one full-time librarian and the Berkshire Athenaeum closing earlier on Thursdays

He has asked each department to provide three spending plans: a level-funded, a level service-funded, and a wish list — though essentially no wish list items have been expressed. A level service-funded budget is the goal.

Amuso reported the high volume of calls she gets from residents about the "astounding" and "alarming" tax bills, explaining "I do not want to dismantle departments but we can do better." She doesn't see taxes being reduced but would like the city to explore all options to lessen the burden on taxpayers as much as possible.

"Although I didn't really appreciate a petition on day seven that said, 'Hey, you need to do these,' we took your petition seriously, we went through the exercise," Marchetti said.

Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren asked that the administration look at the average income of Pittsfield residents as compared to the tax bills, speculating that residents have lower incomes than other communities.

To date, the city has collected $11.5 million for local receipts, or 90 percent, and $53.4 million for state aid, or 73 percent.  Of the $109.3 million appropriated budget, it has expended nearly $84 million.

The "not ideal" school budget is seeing a $3.7 million gap in funding largely due to the sunsetting of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds and a dramatic decrease in Chapter 70 funding due to what the administrators said is a technical error.

After showing a decrease in the percentage of low-income students, the district is being docked $2.3 million after missing the cutoff for a higher reimbursement group by 0.04 percent.

The City Council supported a resolution calling for legislative change to fully reflect recent inflation in the Chapter 70 definition of the foundation inflation index for fiscal 2025 and to eliminate the cap in future years to restore the purchasing power of district Foundation budgets to reflect the intended resource allocations of the Student Opportunity Act.

Marchetti said he will share some "hopeful positive news" in the near future but that Superintendent Joseph Curtis, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke, and himself have been working diligently with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Legislature to resolve the issues.

The school is anticipating the reduction of more than 100 staff members to bridge the $3.7 million gap.

"I do want to note that these reductions we are making aren't ideal, are not, and I don't think anyone here believes they are ideal cuts at all," School Committee member William Garrity said.

Berkshire United Way Launches Annual Campaign, Pilots Childcare Options

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:30PM / Monday, September 21, 2026

Tourists President Colleen Rafferty explains the difficulty hospitality workers, especially women, have with childcare options that can limit their abilities to add shifts or move up within an organization. BUW is piloting childcare services during nontraditional hours. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire United Way kicked off its annual campaign centered on strengthening Berkshire County through shared generosity, cross-sector partnerships, and coordinated responses to community needs.

 

On Thursday, board members, supporters, and beneficiaries gathered at the Country Club of Pittsfield to mark the nonprofit's yearly fundraising campaign. 

They explained that this year's theme is "Rooted in Community, Growing Together."

"It reflects something we see every day. Generosity has deep roots here. It lives in the employee who gives a few dollars from every paycheck, the company that encourages its people to serve, the nonprofit professional who shows up for neighbors every day, and the volunteer who gives time, expertise, and heart," said board Chair Krystle Blake.

 

BUW works to help families access financial mobility, ensuring young people have a strong foundation, and strengthening residents' quality of life.  

"Across our region, too many households are working hard and still struggling to cover the basics. Families are making difficult choices among housing, food, transportation, childcare, and healthcare. Young people need clear pathways from school to opportunity. And people of all ages need connection and access to mental health and well-being," said President and CEO Katherine von Haefen.

"These issues are closely connected. When childcare is unavailable, a parent may be unable to work. When household costs rise, stress affects the entire family. When young people cannot see a path to a stable future here, our whole region feels the impact. No one organization can solve challenges of this scale alone."

One of the main topics of the morning was childcare and how much that is interconnected with all of the challenges.

 

"Reliable, affordable childcare supports far more than an individual family. It helps parents enter and remain in the workforce. It helps employers recruit and retain talented people. It helps children build a strong foundation. And it supports the economic health of our entire region."

Haefen said they have been listening to families, providers, employers, and community partners to better understand where the system is falling short and what they can do to better help families with expanding options through collaboration.

She said tourism and the hospitality industry are major components of the county but the hours for their shifts can be outside of traditional childcare hours.

"The tourism and hospitality industry is a major part of Berkshire County’s economy, and its employees help make this region a welcoming destination. Yet its schedules and the hours when visitors most need restaurants, lodging, and cultural experiences do not always align with traditional childcare hours," Haefen said.