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South Berwick staff present FY27 draft budget with three rainy‑day fund options and higher costs from ambulance startup
Summary
Town staff presented a draft FY27 budget that shows a $1.71 million increase in expenditures driven largely by ambulance startup staffing and benefits; revenues are projected to fall about $65,000 (excluding a planned rainy‑day fund transfer). Councilors were shown three options to draw $800,000–$1,000,000 from the undesignated fund to reduce taxpayer impact.
The town manager and finance staff presented a draft FY27 budget at a South Berwick workshop, laying out options that would draw $800,000, $900,000 or $1 million from the town’s undesignated (rainy‑day) fund to reduce the tax impact.
The manager said the proposed budget shows an expense increase of about $1.71 million and a projected non‑tax revenue decrease of roughly $65,000; excluding a one‑time undesignated transfer, other revenues in the packet rise by about $400,000. "We squeezed juice out of everything we could," the manager said, adding staff prefer conservative revenue forecasts so the town does not face mid‑year shortfalls.
Finance staff walked councilors through how warrant articles group departmental budgets and explained council votes will recommend totals that go to the town meeting rather than line‑by‑line appropriations. Jen, a presenting staff member, highlighted specific revenue changes including a $50,000 increase projected for vehicle excise tax and a $21,000 reduction in state homestead reimbursement. She also noted an unexpected solar reimbursement this year of about $29,000; staff conservatively budgeted $25,000 for FY27.
Why it matters: the manager and staff said the single largest near‑term driver of the budget increase is the town’s decision to operate its own ambulance service. That startup pushed staffing and benefit lines sharply higher and explains much of the FY27 delta, staff said. To blunt the tax effect while the town builds up reserves and revenue sources, the packet offered three rainy‑day fund draw options; staff warned voters historically prefer amounts under $1 million.
Council response and next steps: councilors pressed for more detail on department benefits and how benefits are shown in the packet (staff keep benefits in a separate summary rather than within each department’s line items). Several councilors asked for per‑employee benefit breakdowns for future budgets; staff said they could provide that level of detail for follow‑up meetings. The manager scheduled a department‑by‑department review at the next workshop, with fire and highway prioritized and the fire chief invited to present ambulance staffing and revenue assumptions.
The workshop was an orientation rather than a formal vote; staff will circulate an updated working draft to the council and present department heads at the next meeting. The council will consider the three undesignated‑fund options and other adjustments before formal budget adoption.
