By Adam Swift
The town council is closing in on a vote on the proposed $66.4 million operating budget for Fiscal Year 2026.
At Tuesday night’s council meeting, the Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Finance was expected to give a presentation on the budget to the council, according to Council President Jim Letterie.
The operating budget proposed by Town Manager Tony Marino is about $5 million more than the FY25 budget, an increase largely driven by increased salary and insurance costs. The school portion of the budget accounts for about 60 percent of the total, at about $40.1 million, while the municipal side of the operating budget comes in at a little over $26.2 million.
Letterie praised the work the finance committee has put in over the past months working on the budget.
“They have done an incredible job, the citizens’ finance committee is just so dedicated, they have met at least once a week over the past several months, and basically have one or two adjustments,” said Letterie.
Letterie also praised Marino, Finance Director Sarah Johnson, and their team for their efforts in building the budget.
“I would say it is one of the most transparent budgets we have ever had,” he said.
The council is expected to hold a special meeting at the DeLeo Senior Center on Tuesday, June 10 to vote on the budget. That meeting will immediately follow a joint meeting with the planning board scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. to discuss planning board recommendations on the MBTA 3A Communities Act.
The week between the finance committee presentation and the council vote will give councilors more time to dive into the budget and prepare potential amendments, Letterie said.
In addition to the budget meetings, Letterie is hosting a meeting in the Harvey Hearing Room at Town Hall on Monday, June 9 at 6:45 p.m. to discuss the new fire station timeline, flood mitigation efforts in town, the middle school gym and ice rink, the renovations to the Ingleside Park baseball field, and other items of interest to residents, he said.