Pittsfield selected for Distinguished Budget Presentation Award

01:24PM / Tuesday, March 08, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — For the fifth consecutive year, the City of Pittsfield has been selected for the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the compilation of its FY22 annual budget from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA).

The award reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting, according to a news release from the association.

In order to receive the budget award, the city had to meet and be rated proficient in nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These categories are designed to assess how well an entity's budget serves as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide, and communications device.

Finance Director Matthew Kerwood said this year's award reflects the city's consistent efforts toward producing a comprehensive and efficient budget document.

"I am pleased that the GFOA has again awarded the city this honor," he said. "Each year the standards by which the budget is reviewed intensifies and I am glad that we were able to submit a document that continues to meet the high expectations of the GFOA."

The City of Pittsfield was first selected for the award in 2017.

There are more than 1,600 participants in the association's Budget Awards Program. The most recent Budget Award recipients, along with their corresponding budget documents, are posted quarterly on the association's website, www.gfoa.org.

The Government Finance Officers Association is a major professional association servicing the needs of more than 19,000 appointed and elected local, state, and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners.

Tags: budget,

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Lt. Gov. Driscoll, State Officials Break Ground on Pittsfield Rail Improvements

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:00PM / Thursday, October 29, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— State officials ceremoniously broke ground on rail infrastructure improvements as the train passed on Thursday.

They also celebrated the now permanent Berkshire Flyer and strides towards a passenger train connecting western, central, and eastern Massachusetts.

Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said everyone benefits when there are more ways to get around, particularly on rail.

"And because work like this isn't just about train service. We know it's going to help support our local businesses and bring families and loved ones together for the holidays and support our tourism industry. Certainly, strengthening the connections between Massachusetts and Berkshire County, from Berkshire all the way to the Cape," she said at the CSX Pittsfield Yard on East Street.

"This is the before. I can't wait to see the after. And with continued investments and partnership, we're going to make that happen."

Massachusetts Department of Transportation Rail and Transit Administrator Meredith Slesinger explained that the groundbreaking marks an important milestone for improving existing services, but it's also a "down payment on the future West East Rail."

Several years ago, the state worked with CSX to establish a framework for piloting the Berkshire Flyer service seasonally on weekends between Pittsfield, Albany, and New York City. As part of that negotiation, a long-term agreement would depend on MassDOT contributing to infrastructure improvements to build corridor capacity and reduce potential for rail congestion.

After assessing the service’s performance and partnering with CSX to identify needed infrastructure investments to enable a permanent service, two projects were identified:

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