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Select Board opens FY27 budget hearing as finance director outlines $624 projected average increase for single-family home
Summary
Finance Director John Steinberg presented the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 town budget and a 15-year capital plan, projecting a $624 estimated tax impact on the average single-family property and proposing a 1'1.5% free-cash approach to capital stabilization; the board opened and closed the required public hearing after resident comment.
John Steinberg, the town's finance director, presented the Westborough proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget and a 15-year capital plan at the Select Board's Jan. 27 meeting, saying the plan relies on a mix of state aid, local receipts and one-time free-cash uses to limit tax impacts.
The presentation framed the $624 estimate for the average single-family tax bill (about a 4.84% increase over FY26) as preliminary: "We're here tonight for the Westboro fiscal 2027 budget and capital plan," Steinberg said, adding that the number could change as state aid, union settlements and insurance costs are finalized.
Steinberg walked the board through major cost drivers: salary increases, public-works and landfill-related budgets, higher legal and medical-billing contracts for public-safety departments, and an anticipated $484,527 subsidy for the town's waste-management enterprise fund. He said the town aims to use between 1% and 1.5% of free cash for capital stabilization and to reserve funds for large future projects rather than borrowing when possible.
Board members and staff discussed several department requests and new positions in the recommended budget, including a proposal for a full-time local building inspector, additional patrol officers supported by a COPS hiring grant, and one added firefighter tied to a recent military leave replacement. Steinberg also outlined the capital prioritization process and said the town asked departments to supply 15 years of projected capital needs to better smooth out borrowing and reserve decisions.
Residents and board members pressed for detail on alternatives and trade-offs. At public hearing, resident Wolfford Seavoy urged the board to consider stricter budgeting options such as zero-based review and starting budgets from a levy target, and asked for closer estimates of local receipts to reduce levy pressure. Seavoy said comparative charts show Westborough near the high end of property-tax burdens among benchmark towns and recommended exploring split tax rates and other levy tools.
The board followed required procedure: the Select Board voted to open the public hearing (roll call: Marshall, Silver, Kio, Welch, Johnson all yes), heard public comment, and later voted to close the hearing (roll call all yes).
What happens next: staff will continue to refine revenue estimates as state Chapter 70 and other aid figures firm up; the board scheduled follow-up budget review work and a tri-board budget session. The budget will be finalized ahead of the April/May town meeting schedule and the town's formal classification and tax-rate setting timetable.
Provenance: Presentation and Q&A (SEG 273'273 through SEG 1414).
