Worcester Budget Report

Submitted by yawu on Thu, 06/30/2011 - 11:17am

Worcester is at a critical juncture. Declining revenues and shrinking public investment are threatening the quality of life we have fought so hard to improve.

The quality of our schools, the level of public safety we provide and the quality of our public infrastructure are critical investments that make Worcester a good place to live, attract businesses and new residents and keep our city on firm financial footing.

Yet, in the last ten years, Worcester has made cuts that could have devastating long-term consequences:

  • Worcester Public Schools employed 4,060 persons in 2001; in 2010, that number decreased to 3,446, showing a loss of 614 employees. Seven public schools were also closed down over the course of those ten years.    
  • In 2001, there were approximately 472 police officers employed by the city of Worcester; in 2010, that there were only 415, showing a net decrease of 57 full-time officers.    
  • In 2001, 478 persons were employed by the Worcester Fire Department; that number has decreased to 393 in 2010, with 85 fewer employees.    
  • In 2001, Public Works employed 224 persons; that number has gradually decreased to 174 by 2010.    
  • Culture and Recreation employed 85 employees in 2001, but approximately roughly half that number remained employed by that division in 2010, with a total of 46 employees that remained.    
  • The Water Division of Worcester Public Works employed 126 employees in 2001, but only 109 in 2010, with a loss of 17 years over the span of those ten years.    
  • In 2001, there were approximately 236 employees of the General Government (City License Commission, Law Office, City Clerk, City Messenger, City Election Commission, Purchasing, Technical Services, Human Resources); that number has decreased by 30 employees over the last 10 years, to 176 total employees in 2010

The cuts we're now seeing in Worcester and cities across the state are largely due to declining Local Aid and school funding and local revenues that have not kept pace with the increasing costs of city government. State aid to Worcester has been cut nearly 35% since 2009, according to City Manager Michael O'Brien.

Cuts to city services and the state's social safety net that protects working families are compounding the challenges facing Worcester and other cities as we seek to rebound from the Great Recession. Tax cuts enacted over the last 15 years have eroded nearly $3 billion from the state budget, severely impacting local aid, education funding, human services and virtually every public system our communities rely on to grow our economy.

Now is not the time to cut our investments in our communities. The Act to Invest in Our Communities would restore $1.3 billion to the state budget, reversing many of the cuts we've made to our education system, public safety infrastructure and other critical community services. 

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