[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6243253,"mediaKeyId","3241030-29b1a4278fc64d6807693939f5b787b8","parentId",3241030,"title","City finance official warns FY26 budget will be tight as nondiscretionary costs outpace revenues","audioSeconds",949,"startMs",2241000,"endMs",3190000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3241030-29b1a4278fc64d6807693939f5b787b8&start=2241&end=3190","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3241030-29b1a4278fc64d6807693939f5b787b8/thumbnail_2241000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6243253/Beverly-City/Essex-County/Massachusetts/City-finance-official-warns-FY26-budget-will-be-tight-as-nondiscretionary-costs-outpace-revenues","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6243253-d3172e960bd5ae86ffead2795624d170/orig.mp4?Expires=1775640176&Signature=eTwj1gs0PIG94DFf7xd6a5Ms3zFOXn2y8FwNpzuRb3pydnGQ1V18GAFx0~rH88zzaWb88PZndkI5OcZwQGpVvZRubBNnVUzVFTqI-KiFN4XvI~CBpwJSc5peCM7vuc6ozm9eKTH-NmUUCqxG1eSVzWAvZZZlAa2W6WlwmgJt6Er0m8gXa6c3gUhXmmbaSWS3FmBX8pxyLeBsReyMIovzDGhaGdu0opc5CSclj9Nzw~fwzOWuVbaLxS-C4pGhkMC7Ri5DH3sIDinV5HZStbKThtvKp5sDLT3qCFP51czZ4SUUWbCFKDS-M79qL5MEA-SsOsbZl6QkBqaSUaJeWW0iBA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Beverly, MA","date","2025-05-08T12:23:16Z","article","City finance staff on Wednesday told a joint meeting of the Beverly City Council and the Beverly School Committee that the city expects new revenues of about $7.7 million for fiscal 2026 but faces roughly $9.9 million in largely non‑discretionary spending increases, producing a gap the administration must close before submitting a balanced budget.

Ken Ailes, presenting the city’s FY26 budget landscape for the Cahill administration, said property tax growth would provide the largest share of new revenue — approximately $5.6 million — composed of an estimated $1.25 million in new growth, a 2.5% levy increase and about $750,000 of unused levy capacity. State aid increases, motor‑vehicle excise adjustments and higher interest income account for additional revenue in Ailes’s projection, totaling an estimated $7.7 million and a proposed operating budget of $173.65 million.

\"It is one of the more challenging ones that I've faced in my role here, over the past 12 years,\" Ailes said, describing the fiscal pressures facing the city as department heads and school leaders finalize requests.

Ailes told the joint meeting that major, largely fixed cost increases from recent bargaining agreements, pension schedule adjustments and health insurance will drive most of the added spending. His summary of preliminary figures included a $1 million increase for city‑side salaries, $575,000 for pension liabilities, and a $676,000 rise in city‑side health‑insurance costs; the presentation also carried a preliminary, unvoted school‑side increase of about $7.1 million and a $386,000 rise in the Essex Tech assessment. Taken together, he said, roughly 85% of the city’s spending is concentrated in categories growing at an average rate of about 7.2% between FY25 and FY26.

To close the projected gap between new revenue and unavoidable increases, Ailes said the administration plans multiple steps: rely on staffing vacancies and partial‑year funding for some roles, reduce capital equipment and some vehicle purchases, realize a modest debt‑service reduction from lower interest on existing debt, and ask the council to transfer free cash to the operating budget to cover paving needs that were carried in FY25. Ailes said the administration expects to ask the council to transfer an amount to cover FY26 paving work from free cash and that current estimates assume a free‑cash floor of $2.7 million.

Ailes also highlighted revenue changes: motor‑vehicle excise estimates were raised by about $350,000 toward typical actuals, cannabis excise receipts were shown as roughly $110,000 in FY26, and interest income was budgeted $375,000 higher than in FY25, reflecting current yields. He cautioned that revenues tied to consumer spending are sensitive to economic shifts and tariffs, and that federal grant flows remain an important but uncertain component of funding for some projects.

Council members and school committee members used the presentation for extended questions about health‑insurance negotiations, the use of free cash for paving, the overlay reserve, the contract timeline for trash collection and the potential need for a future override. Ailes and Mayor Cahill said policy choices remain for elected officials: the administration can model options and provide data, but decisions such as seeking an override or changing benefits design would rest with the council, unions and other stakeholders.

No formal budget votes were taken at the joint session. The mayor is expected to present a formal FY26 budget to the council later in May; the presentation at the joint meeting was described as a preview and scenario planning by administration staff.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint City Council/School Committee Meeting - May 07, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City finance staff told a joint meeting on May 7 that Beverly expects $7.7 million in new revenue for fiscal 2026 but faces roughly $9.9 million in built‑in non‑discretionary cost increases, leaving a funding gap the administration plans to close through vacancies, reduced capital equipment purchases and a free‑cash transfer for paving.","taxTitle","Beverly City, Essex County, Massachusetts","taxId",55069,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6243258,"Beverly schools outline equity, attendance and civics goals in district improvement update",1983,252000,2235000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3241030-29b1a4278fc64d6807693939f5b787b8&start=252&end=2235","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3241030-29b1a4278fc64d6807693939f5b787b8/thumbnail_252000.jpg","/articles/6243258/Beverly-City/Essex-County/Massachusetts/Beverly-schools-outline-equity-attendance-and-civics-goals-in-district-improvement-update","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6243258-4589d46c98f604b8886b5a396c97b721/orig.mp4?Expires=1775640176&Signature=ictx9TfCeId6JzEjBkkxXMtuQEx1cQ3jr~CF74T2Epp2e95nXjtmuMmGuthUn2-mRWkIc3~9q342AxQdrXh4U~Sc5bkICBXQ6B2M1VWi2b2G-p7ZN4Ga11-52-jO6I4Hg-BiIIMcfJcRYjUD6Lb5UIA5jKQep1t9Q-43N6CSrDOqu4sFcOTXDl1svPEW-cadv9IVvkVkSmLzWaOty-dirYgAUF9sVDNerENKdsbyKeFv2awMDE5QV5RhmpNDec-9-LtDURKTHbgIlkNf9gcKsmX5YijBvLQK9umT4-3fNxbQIKOgczuBsaARwa5LKLTQEfAlwE~YmCwQa-wWSbRTvg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Beverly Public Schools leaders on Wednesday told a joint meeting of the Beverly City Council and the Beverly School Committee that the district will carry forward its existing three‑year improvement plan, with a continued focus on equity, chronic absenteeism, high‑quality professional development, expanded civics instruction and climate education.

The update, presented by Dr. Suzanne Choroczek and Dr. Dorothy Flaherty, summarized work the district says it has completed in year two of the plan and described items that will continue into the plan’s third year. The presenters said the district’s emphasis remains moving students and staff from “diversity” to “belonging” and then toward “inclusion” and “equity.”

The district framed equity work around a DBIE (diversity, belonging, inclusion, equity) continuum developed with consultant Dr. Amante Jackson. \"Belonging is really where you get to the stage where you're creating a culture where folks feel welcome across difference,\" Dr. Choroczek said, and the district identified belonging as its present stage.

District leaders described five focus areas beneath the plan’s goals. On attendance, the district highlighted a program called BPS CARES (Chronic Absentee Reduction Efforts) and more coordinated family support through a local version of the City Connects model. The presentation included attendance outreach events, in‑school “tardy” signage intended to reduce late arrivals and school‑level campaigns that use recognition (\"brag tags\") and community kickoff events to encourage on-time attendance. The presentation included an example banner slogan used in an outreach period: \"attendance is everyone's superpower.\"

On professional development, Dr. Dorothy Flaherty said the system provided summer and in‑year training for teachers and administrators, including graduate credit courses funded by the district and a BevEd grant with the Cummings Center that paid for some staff to attend external programs. Flaherty said a literacy grant (more than $200,000) supported K–5 implementation of a writing curriculum and related teacher training.

The district also described a pilot senior elective at Beverly High School called \"Preserving Democracy.\" The presenters said the year‑long course will teach digital literacy, research methods and the distinction between fact, opinion and misinformation, and will culminate in a capstone civics project. Dr. Choroczek said the course started as a pilot this year and is intended to be refined over two pilot years and, if adopted, to become a graduation requirement for the class of 2027.

Student leadership and input were cited repeatedly: the presentation said a student ambassador cabinet and a school‑level advisory group had substantial influence on the civics course design and other initiatives. The district also said students led presentations on sustainability projects — hydroponics, worm composting, food recovery and community pumpkin‑compost events in collaboration with Green Beverly.

School officials told the joint meeting that the district has one year left on the current improvement plan and intends to continue the same goals into the final year while the new superintendent, Dr. Peter J. Cushing, prepares to begin his July 1 start date.

No formal policy changes or school committee votes were taken at the joint meeting; the session was used to present progress and answer questions.

Officials to contact for follow‑up included Dr. Suzanne Choroczek and Dr. Dorothy Flaherty, who delivered the presentation, and Paul Casey, the district’s director of humanities, who worked on the civics rollout.","Beverly Public Schools leaders presented a third-year progress update on a three-year district improvement plan that keeps equity and belonging as central goals, highlights attendance interventions, expands professional development and pilots a new senior civics elective.","actionData","errors"]

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City finance official warns FY26 budget will be tight as nondiscretionary costs outpace revenues

Beverly schools outline equity, attendance and civics goals in district improvement update