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Haverhill mayor presents balanced FY26 budget, cites health-insurance spike and OPEB planning
Summary
The mayor’s recommended fiscal 2026 operating budget aims to limit reliance on one-time funds and caps the levy increase at 5.2%, while departments face a sharp rise in health‑insurance costs and the city plans to begin addressing a large OPEB liability.
The mayor and budget staff presented a recommended fiscal year 2026 operating budget that they said is balanced and limits reliance on one‑time funds while capping the tax levy increase at 5.2% for 2026.
In a presentation to the City Council’s budget hearing, Angel (budget staff) said the Group Insurance Commission announced 2026 rate increases that drive an average health‑insurance cost increase for Haverhill of about 12.5%, which Angel said translates to “over $3,300,000 in additional costs in 2026.” The mayor later summarized the result: “We have a balanced budget.”
Why it matters: councilors were shown a 10‑year projection that the mayor’s team used to constrain levy use, prioritize capital needs and hold…
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