‘Placeholder’ Budget in North Adams Likely To See Future Cuts

The spending plan proposed by North Adams Mayor Thomas Bernard allows for cuts later, as more information on municipal finance in a pandemic year becomes available.

If the city trimmed its budget by too much, there would be no legal way to add revenue, Bernard says. The mayor said he would rather cut later, if revenues come up short, than wind up with more money than anticipated and have no way to use it.

A clear picture on the level of state aid the city will receive this fiscal year - while expected to be dramatically lower - will be unknown for some time, the mayor noted.

On top of that, sales taxes from restaurants and hotels, a financial mainstay for the city, will also be dramatically lower due to the pandemic-caused cultural cancellations throughout the summer.

Read the entire story now at The Berkshire Eagle.Com.