Tyer Proposes $189M Pittsfield Budget, Up $10M

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The mayor is proposing a nearly $189 million budget for fiscal 2023 that is about $10 million higher than the this year's $179 million budget.

Mayor Linda Tyer's request to raise and appropriate $188,589,144 for the FY23 operating budget was referred to the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday.

Departmental deliberations will begin next week on Tuesday, May 17, with a public hearing on the budget and five-year Capital Improvement Plan, which was made available to the public on Tuesday.

The budget proposal includes $242,784 for the mayor's office, $109,262 for the City Council, $9,138,800 for the Fire Department, $11,927,437 for the Police Department, and $56,686,954 for unclassified spending.

The proposed school department budget is $72,398,262, which is a 7.56 percent, or $5,086,562, increase from this year. Most of the increase is in contractual obligations, which increased by about $4.7 million.


Within the school budget is $1,895,347 for administration, $55,822,847 for instructional, $4,526,341 for other school services, $6,372,746 for operations and maintenance, $472,358 for fixed costs, $68,074 for adult learning, $234,047 for acquisition of fixed assets, and $3,626,502 for tuition payments.

With $570,000 in school choice revenues and $50,000 in Richmond tuition revenues, the total budget amounts to $73,018,262.

Three orders related to the Community Preservation Fund were also referred to the Committee of the Whole: to Amend Order 45 of the 2021 Series, appropriating $974,480.93 for the FY22 Community Preservation Fund budget; to appropriate $670,317.00 from the FY22 Community Preservation Fund budget; and to appropriate $818,435.44 for the FY23 Community Preservation Fund budget.

Last summer, the council adopted an overall budget of $743,451.75 for the fiscal 2022 administration of the CPA. Eleven of the 13 applications received were deemed eligible and funded for a total request of $716,782, with a further reduction after two projects were further refined the costs of their projects.


Tags: fiscal 2023,   pittsfield_budget,   

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Lanesborough Reviews DPW, COA, Ambulance Budgets

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board and Finance Committee had a detailed look last week at the needs for the fiscal 2027 budget from the Parks Commission, ambulance, Council on Aging, and the Department of Public Works.
 
All were asked what it would mean if they were asked to level fund their budgets.
 
The Council on Aging Director Lorna Gayle said she had room to reduce her budget and her hours. Her spending plan budgets $54,187 and $38,000 for transportation.
 
She could cut $300 in office supplies but did request an increase to add a chair tai chi class, adding $3,500 for the instructor. 
 
Gayle she believed she take transportation driver line down to the 2024 level of $30,000; the current projection is a little over $35,000. When others were nervous about losing a driver, Gayle assured them he would not leave as he loves his job.
 
When asked about participation rates she said it varies but the COA has a good turn out and the yoga class is so full it's capped.
 
"The participation rates in the classes vary, but we've had sometimes three people because it's snowing, but then we have 22 people, and we're cramped in here," she said. "The line dancing class one started out there were like five of us tap dancing away."
 
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