On Tuesday, December 17, the City Council voted on the shift factor that set the tax rate for residential and commercial properties. For the first time in years, favorable shifts were presented and concluded a significant reduction of tax rates for both residential and commercial properties. However, the average single-family home tax bill will still … Continued
It’s that time of the year! The City Council will convene at a Special Meeting scheduled for Monday, December 16 at 7:00 pm to vote on a shift factor that will determine the tax rate for residential and commercial properties. Before deliberating on how to balance the tax burden between these categories, I am introducing to the … Continued
HOLYOKE — Mayor Joshua A. Garcia has advice for property owners with outstanding fines for building code violation’s: Clear up or pay up. “Landlords, property managers, and homeowners of units of three families and higher should know that the City of Holyoke is preparing to turn over to the Tax Collector those property owners who … Continued
HOLYOKE — Mayor Joshua A. Garcia is contracting with a public policy consultant to help Holyoke initiate a formal Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) policy. “Because we are a compassionate City, we are home to an exceptionally large number of tax-exempt nonprofits that offer a range of services to vulnerable populations,” Garcia said. “Along … Continued
On Tuesday, June 11, the City Council convened to review and vote on the Mayor’s proposed FY25 budget (click to review budget). Watch the full City Council meeting here. In this phase of the budget process, the City Council can cut but can not add to the budget. The council made $62,290 worth of cuts which includes: … Continued
The following is a snapshot overview of the FY25 proposed budget in detail (note: these are subject to change between now and June 30, 2024): Consolidated Workbook of Proposed FY25 Budget FY25 Working Budget Detailed The proposed FY25 budget presented to the City Council is based on what we understand to be our revenue and expense … Continued
At the City of Holyoke in our downtown we have three parking garage facilities that require attention. These include: 1) Ernest Proulx Municipal Parking Facility located on Dwight Street; 2) Suffolk Street Municipal Parking located off of Suffolk Street, and 3) we have the parking deck directly behind City Hall. Price quotes to address the … Continued
Chapter 90 funds from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the source of funding Cities and Towns use to improve and maintain publicly accepted roads. The order of roads to be improved have been identified through our City’s pavement management system that rates the conditions of roads, usage, and determines the order of priority for repair. … Continued
The new budget preparation season is here! A memo to all departments with instructions for the FY25 budget planning process were distributed. While departments work on their first draft budget requests, I have been meeting one-on-one with City Councilors to go over their objectives and priorities. Their input helps me identify what some of the shared … Continued
The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) recently notified Holyoke officials that they will provide additional reimbursement for the new middle school construction project. The Owner’s Project Manager (Anser Advisory) has estimated the additional funding will be approximately $11.7 million, which would bring the MSBA’s total contribution to an estimated $57.6 million. This would reduce the … Continued
