Tim Murray Criticizes WPI for Hotel Tax Roll Impact, Calls for Accountability

Tim Murray, President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, is not ready to kiss and make up with WPI over their taking two hotels off the city rolls and removing 234 hotel rooms from the city. On the Voice of Business on Radio Worcester, Murray said the City Manager did the best he could, with limited leverage, in getting an agreement. State law allows WPI to do exactly what they have done. The only argument a municipality has is for them to do the right thing. Murray points out, property taxes, which are affected by WPI removing these properties from the tax rolls, is what funds, schools, parks, the library, etc. Murray is still upset that WPI purposely hid what they were doing by not being forthcoming during meetings with city leaders on other items WPI and Worcester are working on. All this agreement does, Murray says, is put off for a year or two when WPI stops paying. The city will still, eventually, lose two million dollars in tax revenue. The lack of hotels will also hurt when it comes to attracting conventions and businesses. He says the large number of Worcester non-profits taking properties off the tax roles needs to be looked at.