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Portsmouth council provisionally approves FY27 spending plan; school budget set at $49.73 million
Summary
The Portsmouth Town Council provisionally approved the townwide FY27 budget and a slate of departmental budgets, including the Portsmouth School Departmentbottom line of $49,733,662 and municipal operations within a $79,160,404 overall plan. Councilors flagged several line items for follow-up but voted 6-0 on the major appropriations.
The Portsmouth Town Council on Thursday provisionally approved a fiscal year 2027 spending framework that sets total proposed revenues and expenditures at $79,160,404 and advances the Portsmouth School Departmentrequest to a $49,733,662 bottom line.
The council approved the townside appropriation of $40,443,988 and voted separately to provisionally accept the school departmentbudget. Dr. Viveiros, presenting the school plan, called the budget "a statement of our district's values," and highlighted steady enrollment, growing career and technical education (CTE) offerings and increased out-of-district CTE tuition projected to generate $1,328,000 in FY27.
"This budget represents a statement of our district's values and a roadmap for the continued success of our students and our town," Dr. Viveiros said.
School finance staff said the district's FY27 expenditure request is $47,636,662, a 3.1% increase, and that total state aid recommended by the governor would equal $3,819,034 (an increase of $124,574), which the general assembly must still adopt. The finance director noted $510,000 of group-home aid included in the FY27 numbers may be lost in FY28 due to a group-home closure.
On the municipal side, town staff presented a $79.16 million plan that holds schools as the largest cost center (about 56% of expenditures) and municipal operations at roughly 44%. Key municipal decisions voted provisionally included:
- Police: provisional approval at $8,511,669 after a corrected figure was read into the record. - Fire: provisional approval at $8,426,793, driven by compensation and health-insurance cost increases and investments in EMS/paramedic capability. - Public works (DPW): provisional approval at $3,571,375, including a new waste-diversion manager and higher fleet maintenance for about 59 vehicles. - Snow removal: provisional approval at $161,205 with staff to reconcile reserve use in June. - Road improvements: provisional approval at $1,170,404, with an anticipated $279,226 of state reimbursement expected to be reinvested in paving. - Prudence Island Transfer Station: provisional approval at $137,712 after staff explained pay-as-you-throw bag costs and sticker ratios.
Councilors and staff flagged a number of items for follow-up. Finance staff will reconcile restricted funds and grant accounting (which explained a $49.73 million total versus the $47.64 million operating presentation) and provide more detailed breakdowns where the council requested them.
A recurring budget driver across departments was a sharp increase in health insurance premiums (cited by multiple presenters as upwards of 16to 22%), which raised benefit lines across the school and municipal budgets. Transportation and bus contract costs were also noted as important drivers for the schools.
Votes at a glance (provisional approvals; all recorded 6-0 unless noted): - Revenue line item: $79,160,404 (provisionally approved). - Town appropriation: $40,443,988 (provisionally approved). - School bottom line: $49,733,662 (provisionally approved). - Police: $8,511,669 (provisionally approved). - Fire: $8,426,793 (provisionally approved). - DPW (general): $3,571,375 (provisionally approved). - Road improvements: $1,170,404 (provisionally approved). - Snow removal: $161,205 (provisionally approved). - Prudence Island Transfer Station: $137,712 (provisionally approved). - Prudence Island Public Safety Officer: $138,759 (provisionally approved). - Prudence Island Volunteer Fire Department (amended): $224,597 (provisionally approved). - Town council operating budget (amended): $16,698 (provisionally approved).
What happens next: Several items were tabled for numeric reconciliation or line-item allocation (notably harbor-related allocations and detailed enterprise-fund reconciliations); staff were asked to return with updated figures at the council's next meeting. The council described the approvals as provisional pending final technical adjustments and final adoption at a later step.
