School Budget Requests 5% Increase; Town Revenues Running $3M Ahead of Budget
Regular Meeting
Summarized by: claude-sonnet-4-6 | Date: 2026-04-07
- Board of Education proposed FY27 budget of $93.7M, a 4.97% increase over FY26, driven by contractual salaries, benefits, transportation, and facilities costs
- Town revenues for FY26 are tracking approximately $3M above budget, boosted by property taxes, conveyance fees, and building permits
- Transportation costs up 13.64% partly due to bus contractor DATCO becoming unionized and adding driver health insurance
- Special education out-of-district placements cost approximately $133k per student vs. $5k for non-special-ed placements; district has reduced out-of-district placements from low 60s to low 40s
- Library budget proposed at 10.3% increase for FY27, largely due to planned roof replacement and replacement of discontinued book wholesaler
- Landfill closure on track; post-closure monitoring period of 30 years to begin after certification, with estimated $19.4M retained earnings available for future obligations
- Public Works FY27 budget proposed at 4.5% increase; department currently running under budget by 2.8%
The Board of Education presented a $93.7M proposed budget for FY27, a 4.97% increase driven largely by fixed contractual obligations. The district highlighted academic gains, including moving from 157th to 119th in statewide accountability rankings and ranking third among Alliance districts. On the town side, revenues are running $3M ahead of budget for FY26, driven by strong property tax collections and real estate activity. The landfill closure project is nearing completion, with long-term post-closure monitoring and an estimated $19.4M reserve fund. Council members raised no major objections to any department budget and praised Public Works for staying under budget while maintaining infrastructure.