PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayoral candidate John Krol has released a plan on how his administration will root out waste, provide effective financial oversight, find savings for residents and small business owners, all while growing the economy. 

 

"At a time when we have seen a record amount of excess cash, new cannabis revenue and an historic influx in federal dollars through ARPA, residents are rightfully upset that their taxes and water/sewer rates are skyrocketing. We need to fundamentally change the way we approach managing tax dollars in the city to provide professional oversight, identify waste and inefficiencies, and make our tax dollars go further," said Krol. 

 

A former city councilor, he also has been a small-business owner and executive in the health-care industry.

 

Krol outlined four simple steps to professionalize and to depoliticize city finances and operations to bring tax and fee relief to residents and local small business owners. 

 

1) Hire non-political financial experts

 

Begin a national search to hire a director of finance from outside the Pittsfield political establishment.

 

2) External audit performed by a fresh set of eyes

 

Currently Pittsfield has contracted with the same external auditor for more than a decade. It is time for a fresh set of eyes by contracting with a professional firm that has never done work for the city of Pittsfield in the past.

 

3) Leave no stone unturned — an internal city auditor

 

In addition to the aforementioned external auditing process, a Krol administration will work to create a position for a full-time internal auditor. The role of the position would not only include audits of the financials of every department but also key city functions and operations. This is a role that has been established in many other municipalities in Massachusetts and throughout the nation. Krol's vision is to have an internal auditor who is independent and does not report directly to the mayor.

 

4) Prioritize tax and fee relief for our residents and small local businesses

 

Savings discovered through rooting out waste, inefficiency and any corruption will be prioritized for tax and fee relief for our residents and small businesses.

 

"We need to hire the right people who are experts and have no connection to the political establishment, and then look under the hood to see why taxpayers and businesses have seen their taxes and fees go up. Where is that money going?" said Krol. "We can talk about building strong schools, safe streets, making Pittsfield more business-friendly and providing exceptional city services, but at the core of it all, none of this can be accomplished without building trust and confidence that our tax dollars are being spent properly."

 

Many municipalities across the country do have an internal auditor department, he said, and, most recently, the city of Springfield created such a department that not only focuses on financial matters, but also provides auditing of city functions, operations, contracts and more.