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Swansea officials trim 2025 budget increases by cutting vacant positions and insurance assumptions
Summary
Town officials proposed reductions tied to vacant positions and insurance budgeting that would reduce the projected 2025 increase to about 5% from earlier estimates above 11%.
Town of Swansea board members and staff reviewed the recommended 2025 budget and discussed targeted reductions that staff said would lower the town’s projected year-over-year increase to roughly 5%.
A staff member who led the review told the board the analysis focused on lines connected to currently vacant positions and insurance budgeting. "If we change those to an opt out, that'll allow budget reduction of about a 100,000," the staff member said, adding reductions in public works, fire and police personnel costs. "Public works... that's about 73,000. Fire department reduced the vacant second full time position partly, 50,000. And police department reduced the full time, wages based on vacant positions."
The staff member estimated those and other adjustments together would reduce net increases to "a little more than 400,000," describing that outcome as bringing the budget closer to the town’s historical annual change: "So I think that's more in line with what we normally see." The same presenter said if all warrant articles passed as previously drafted, the increase would have been in the double digits (around 11–12%).
Board members asked for context about revenue from new assessments and development. The staff member said assessed value increases tied to recent or expected projects — cited informally as Manhattan Gardens and Adena Gardens — could raise assessed value by an estimated $10 million to $20 million after April 1. On the town-side tax rate, participants discussed the town portion as being a small share of the overall tax bill; one board member said, "The town portion is a little $5."
The group compared the recommended budget to the default budget the town would adopt if voters do not approve the operating budget at town meeting. The presenter said the default budget figure is $7,935,699 and that the proposed reductions leave the town about $435,000 above the default. "So if it goes to default... we're gonna be short 400 and some thousand. Correct. 437,000. And we'll have to find that," a board member observed.
No formal vote to adopt the 2025 budget occurred during the meeting; the board’s discussion centered on staff recommendations and numbers to present to voters and at upcoming deliberative and town meeting sessions.
Ending
Board members scheduled further procedural meetings in February to finalize materials for the deliberative session and town meeting; staff said they would continue to refine revenue and assessment estimates ahead of those dates.
