CITY OF WORCESTER
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This financial overview document presents Worcester's fiscal structure and priorities as delivered by Chief Financial Officer Timothy J. McGourthy. The city operates under significant state-mandated constraints, with approximately $920 million in FY25 budget revenue derived from limited sources (state aid, property taxes, local fees), while discretionary municipal operations comprise only 22% of total spending due to mandatory obligations in education, debt service, and pension costs. Worcester maintains a Financial Integrity Plan established since 2006 that includes a general fund reserve of 10.7% for FY25, an irrevocable OPEB trust, and a net free cash policy directing funds toward bond rating stabilization, OPEB obligations, and operations, with an average residential tax bill of $5,266 funding services ranging from K-12 education and public safety to libraries and public health services.
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The City of Worcester Planning Board has issued a public alert about scams involving impersonation of city officials requesting wire transfers for permits, clarifying that the city only accepts checks or online payments through official channels at planning@worcesterma.gov. The board reviews site plans, parking plans, subdivision plans, and makes recommendations on zoning changes; as of July 2025, all meeting agendas, minutes, and videos are available through the OneMeeting portal (with archived materials going back to 2021), and the board has recently updated its application review policy. The Planning Board accepts various permit applications including definitive site plans, subdivisions, parking plans, and special permits, which must be submitted as digital PDFs to the official planning email address.
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Worcester's City Council is the legislative body consisting of eleven elected officials: Mayor and Councilor-at-Large Joe Petty, six additional Councilors-at-Large, and five District Councilors representing Districts 1–5. As of July 2025, all current and upcoming agendas, archived meeting minutes, and meeting videos are available through the OneMeeting portal, with archived materials going back to 2021 and older files being added on an ongoing basis. Residents can petition the City Council on topics including street conditions, lighting, public safety, housing, zoning, taxation, traffic, and parking, and can contact their councilors using the city's online contact form or identify their district representative through an interactive map.
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