Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | January 9. 2017 | Worcester Business Journal 5 B R I E F S Worcester tax policies sends businesses elsewhere For the second year in a row, Worcester City Council expanded the dual tax rate gap between what business property owners pay vs. what residential property own- ers pay, reversing a four-year trend of slowly moving back toward a single-tax rate for the first time since 1984. The average business property tax bill is expected to increase $360 in 2017, compared to $52 for residential. Not surprisingly, WBJ read- ers overwhelming said this move would prevent businesses from coming into the city and send more already here looking somewhere else. F L A S H P O L L What will be the main impact of Worcester's split tax policies? Businesses in the city will leave for the lower-tax suburbs. 44% The city's residents are better served which benefits the community and the economy. Fallon selling $11M home care agency Louisiana home health care provider Amedisys, Inc. next month will pur- chase a 40-year-Worcester home care agency from Fallon Health and VNA Care Network. Fallon and VNA are expect to close the sale on Feb. 1 for the Home Staff company, which was founded in 1977, has 502 employees serving 3,500 clients and annual revenues of $10.5 million. MWCC taps Vander Hooven as next president Mount Wachusett Community College's board picked the head of enrollment management at Vermont's Landmark College as its next president. The board in December selected Dr. James Vander Hooven as the college's next president from a pool of five final- ists. He is currently vice president for enrollment management at Landmark College in Putney, Vt. He will succeed Dr. Daniel M. Asquino, the college's longtime president who announced his retirement earlier this year. Asquino is currently the longest-serving public higher education president in Massachusetts and is expected to stay on during a transitional period, according to Mount Wachusett. Continued on next page lWorcester loses out on businesses that would relocate here if taxes were lower. 47% While the tax rates are bothersome the pull of the city keeps the economy moving in a positive direction. HIRE AND HIGHER: 7% 3% Fallon CEO Richard Burke • 24-hr Emergency Service • Office Cleaning Celebrating 16 years of excellence 997 Millbury St., Suite A Worcester, MA 01607 (866)45.EAGLE www.eaglecleaning.com Proud Winner of Worcester Business Journal's 2017 Best Of Business • Day Porter Service • Carpet and Upholstery Shampoo • Restroom Sanitation • Stripping and Refinishing Floors • Post Construction Cleaning COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL • INSTITUTIONAL Nightly Janitorial Service Congratulations to all of the 2017 Best Of Business Winners

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