Debt Service
The city's loan payments - principal and interest on money Fitchburg has borrowed over the years to pay for big-ticket projects like school buildings, road work, and equipment, the same way a mortgage payment works for a house.
This rose to $4,690,000 this year, about 13% more than the $4,167,594 it was in FY2025. Put another way: this took up about 3.8% of the total city budget back in FY2017 - today it's 2.6%, meaning the city has made this a smaller priority than it used to be.
Computed from each fiscal year's own adopted budget figures below - see Methodology.
By Fiscal Year
| Fiscal Year | Adopted Amount |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $4,690,000 |
| FY2025 | $4,167,594 |
| FY2024 | $3,805,744 |
| FY2023 | $3,485,394 |
| FY2022 | $3,261,485 |
| FY2021 | $3,209,450 |
| FY2020 | $3,034,750 |
| FY2019 | $4,636,060 |
| FY2018 | $4,301,345 |
| FY2017 | $4,346,000 |
| FY2016 | — |
Who Runs It
The City Council authorizes new borrowing (with state debt limits capping how much the city can take on); the Treasurer manages the actual loan payments.
Governing law: M.G.L. c. 44 (Municipal Finance)