The Mayor's proposal will allow for a forty-five day period, beginning the first day in March, in which those individuals owing the City money will be given a waiver on a significant percentage of the interest, collection costs, and penalties on the total figure owed. By a law from the State Legislature last spring, the authority to enact such a program lies with the mayors and city councils of the municipalities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

This decision to aggressively pursue these taxes comes only days after Mayor Fiorentini announced savings of over $600,000 in the City budget that his consolidation and reorganization plans, which were implemented last week, have put towards the massive deficit. Fiorentini also announced last week the implementation of a spending and hiring freeze to address the deficit on a daily basis.

"These are all programs that I campaigned on last fall and I must keep my word to the Citizens of Haverhill and address the budget deficit on a daily basis. This is only the beginning. I will leave no stone unturned and I will seek to save and recover money wherever it is possible."

*Source: City of Haverhill, Massachusetts Web Site: www.ci.haverhill.ma.us 1-16-04