Mayor Tyer Elected President of Mass Mayors Association

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Mayor Linda Tyer addresses the City Council at her second inauguration address in 2020.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Linda Tyer was unanimously elected president of the Massachusetts Mayors Association during the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Municipal Association held virtually on Jan. 21.
 
"I am deeply honored to be chosen for this position by my peers and I look forward to continuing my work with them and with the MMA in this new leadership position," Tyer said. "As any mayor or local official can attest to, our communities are facing common challenges and are united on an agenda for growth and advancement."
 
Tyer was elected by her mayoral colleagues to lead the association, which meets regularly throughout the year so mayors of the state can discuss and strategize on issues facing cities and towns, including local aid, transportation, education, housing, economic development, and job creation. She will serve a one-year term.
 
The association is a member group of the MMA, the statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization for cities and towns. By virtue of her election, the mayor will continue to serve as a member of the MMA Board of Directors.
 
"Mayor Tyer is widely recognized as a remarkable leader in her community and across the commonwealth," said MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith. "The mayors of our state have asked her to be their leader in advancing the needs of our cities and towns, and we are very pleased that she has accepted this key post."
 
Tyer said no city or town can "go it alone" and it is important to work together on critical issues.
 
"The conversations will center this year on winning powerful investments in local aid, transportation, housing, infrastructure, and education to grow our economy, create jobs and build a strong recovery," she said. "We are committed to working with Gov. Baker and the Legislature to forge a partnership between the state and our cities and towns, so we can create a vibrant future for every community throughout Massachusetts."
 
As a member of the MMA Board of Directors, Tyer will also serve on the statewide Local Government Advisory Commission (LGAC), which meets throughout the year with top state leaders to discuss issues facing cities and towns.
 
"Mayor Tyer's knowledge and skill will be of enormous value to all of the cities and towns of Massachusetts," Beckwith said. "She is a forceful and effective advocate on behalf of local officials and taxpayers in all communities, as mayors and local leaders promote a robust partnership with the state in our common work to make Massachusetts stronger and more prosperous. We are deeply grateful that Mayor Tyer has stepped forward to assume this essential leadership role."

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Pittsfield Council Takes Up $243M Fiscal 2027 Budget

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Peter Marchetti detailed the city's $243 million spending plan during the first budget hearing of the season on Tuesday. 

The proposed operating budget for Pittsfield in fiscal year 2027 is $232,782,090, a 2.9 percent increase from this year. Marchetti compared that to hikes in fixed costs: a 9 percent increase in health insurance, a 7 percent increase in debt service, and more than a 5 percent increase in retirement contributions. 

"We needed to make reductions in other places," he explained. 

The total proposed budget is $243,234,868. It breaks down into $145,927,029 for the municipal operating budget, $86,855,061 for the schools, and $10,452,778 for proposed state assessments and overlay. 

To balance the budget, the administration will not fill several vacant positions, is funding police social workers and co-responders through opioid settlement funds, and reduces the library's Thursday hours. 

"Probably one of our most painful cuts that we have produced: The overall [Department of Public Services] budget has been reduced by $738,000 from fiscal year 26 to 27, with a reduction of five positions that are currently vacant, have been vacant for some time, and we believe the reason that those positions are vacant is based on our salaries," Marchetti explained. 

"So once we are able to successfully negotiate a contract with the teamsters, we will be back looking to be able to fund these positions from a later appropriation. It is not our intent to let them go vacant all year, but it's impossible to budget when we know we can't fill them, and we don't know what salary at this current stage to use." 

The budget includes $2 million in free cash to offset the tax rate, $19,791,219 from water & sewer enterprise funds, $81,959,322 from state aid ($68,855,061 in Chapter 70 School Aid), and $15,388,750 in local receipts. 

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