Westborough boards direct staff to develop FY27 "level‑service" budgets as federal grants, special‑education costs drive uncertainty

At a joint meeting of Westborough’s select board, finance committee and school committee, town and school leaders directed staff to prepare a “level‑service” budget for fiscal 2027 and to prioritize efficiency reviews as officials reported elevated costs and uncertain grant funding.

Town Manager Christy Williams opened the meeting with a fiscal closeout review, saying, “we are estimating about $12,600,000 in free cash,” and noting the town is operating under a roughly $126,000,000 operating budget. Williams told the committees that free cash, union contract obligations and one‑time choices made in recent years — including temporary use of free cash to lower the tax rate — are central to this year’s planning.

The meeting matters because the boards must set a clear budgeting direction before departments submit FY27 requests; those choices will affect the average single‑family tax bill, the town’s OPEB (other post‑employment benefits) funding schedule and school programming.

Town finance picture and assumptions

Williams said the town currently estimates the average single‑family tax bill rose about 5.43% from FY24 and that some revenues are running higher than previously estimated. She laid out decisions already baked into planning: the town will “raise and appropriate $800,000 and contribute $200,000 of free cash” to the OPEB trust in FY27, producing a total planned OPEB contribution of $1,000,000.…