Worcester’s Billion-Dollar Budget Sparks Debate on the Radio Roundtable

By-Hank Stolz
Graphic-Radio Worcester

Worcester, MA-This week the Radio Roundtable weighs in on the city’s first-ever billion-dollar budget, debating its necessity and where the funds were allocated, particularly towards education, public safety, and public works.

 
On the budget, Matt Wally said, “So when people complain, ‘A billion dollars, what are we doing?’ I like to ask, ‘Well, what would you like to cut?’ And when I usually do that, there’s a blank face because people have no reason why or no explanation as to what they would like to cut…” and George Russell added, “…the city council can cut the bottom line of the budget, but we don’t have a line item cut. The city council, one of the most frustrating things I dealt with over the 14 years that I was there was that if you have a problem with spending in department A, you can make a motion to cut the whole budget that amount, but you can’t take it out of department A.”
 
The conversation then shifted to the Green Tech Park development, which was viewed as a major opportunity for economic growth and high-paying jobs and high praise for the WBDC. The panelists also examined the local rental market, noting a recent stabilization in prices after a period of rapid increases.
 
Finally, they addressed the challenges posed by the closure of Community Health Link (CHL) and the ongoing debate about expanding clinician-based responses to 911 calls involving mental health crises.
 
 
 

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