Department of Revenue |
Topic (Click on Topic to get inforamtion) | Information contained on Web Site |
| At a Glance | To view a snap shot of the most recent data available for a single community, click on the community name listed |
| All Municipal Spreadsheets | DATA Bank Information You can find the follwing information at this site: Cherry Sheets (Individual)
Property Tax Related Files
Proposition 2 1/2 Levy Limit Capacity and Referenda Votes
Debt and Other Financial Indicators
Socioeconomic
Local Option Votes by City and Town
State Aid to Municipalities and Regional School Districts
Municipal Revenue Growth Factors
Community Preservation Act
Local Aid Distributions
Property Tax Exemption Reimbursements
Municipal Budgeted Revenues
Municipal Actual Revenues and Expenditures
Salary and Benefits Survey
At A Glance Reports
Useful Links
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Capital Improvements Program | This manual has been prepared by the Department of Revenue's Division of Local Services to assist Massachusetts municipalities in carrying out their responsibilities in planning, financing and implementing capital improvements. This manual has two parts. Part I describes the ten steps needed to establish a capital improvements program (or CIP). Part II contains the forms and other information necessary to implement a CIP. Feel free to photocopy these forms or adapt them to your needs. |
Costing Municipal Services | A Guide to Costing Municipal Services presents the basic concepts and techniques of costing. It is intended both as an introduction for officials new to costing and as a refresher for officials who have used costing before. |
Document | Community Preservation Rank for Equity Distribution Calculation |
Enterprise Funds53F1/2 | An enterprise fund, authorized by MGL Ch. 44 §53F½, is a separate accounting and financial reporting mechanism for municipal services for which a fee is charged in exchange for goods or services. It allows a community to demonstrate to the public the portion of total costs of a service that is recovered through user charges and the portion that is subsidized by the tax levy, if any. With an enterprise fund, all costs of service delivery--direct, indirect, and capital costs--are identified. This allows the community to recover total service costs through user fees if it chooses. Enterprise accounting also enables communities to reserve the "surplus" or retained earnings generated by the operation of the enterprise rather than closing it out to the general fund at year-end. Services that may be treated as enterprises include, but are not limited to, water, sewer, hospital, and airport services. |
Enterprise Funds
G.L. c. 44, § 53F½ | These guidelines provide guidance to local officials on the use of an enterprise fund under G.L. c. 44, § 53F½ to separately account for municipal services of a proprietary nature, i.e., those services provided to individual customers for a charge in a manner similar to private business.
The guidelines prescribe uniform accounting standards for enterprise fund revenues and expenditures. They also set forth the policies that apply to the review of enterprise budgets for tax rate setting purposes. G.L. c. 44, §§ 38 and 43; c. 59, § 23.
These standards and policies are effective as of June 30, 2008 and supersede those found in the June 2002 Enterprise Fund manual and any prior written inconsistent publications or statements.
BUREAU |
Municipal Accounts | This is the Uniform Massachusetts Accounting System (UMAS). Its scope is the operation of an accounting system for a local governmental entity in Massachusetts. Its purpose is to provide a reference for the City Auditor, Town Accountant or official with similar responsibilities in accounting for financial transactions and reporting results of municipal financial operations. It is based on Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), but is written to meet the particular needs of Massachusetts local accounting officials.
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A Guide to Financial
Management for Town Officials | The purpose of this Guide is to provide a resource for local officials that will help them gain a general understanding of local government finance. This Guide should be particularly useful to newly elected or appointed officials, especially those that serve on a part-time basis in towns. It explains the
major aspects of municipal finance and also provides a broad overview of the responsibilities of the major participants in a town’s financial management. It is important that new officials, especially policy-makers, appreciate the varied roles of the participants in municipal finance. With a good grasp of the workings of town financial functions, local officials will be in a better
position to make informed policy decisions. |
Municipal Finance Glossary | Municipal Finance Glossary - Accounting, Auditing and Financial terms. A publication that was used in developing this glossary was Governmental Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Reporting, by Stephen J Gauthier. Chicago: Government Finance Officers Association, 2001 |
Revolving Funds | Section 53E1/2. Notwithstanding the provisions of section fifty-three, a city or town may annually authorize the use of one or more revolving funds by one or more municipal agency, board, department or office which shall be accounted for separately from all other monies in such city or town and to which shall be credited only the departmental receipts received in connection with the programs supported by such revolving fund. |
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