Budget board trims FY2027 operating requests, approves municipal center budget and sets $50,000 pool for local groups

The Smithfield Budget and Financial Review Board spent most of its May 7 meeting reviewing department operating budgets for FY2027, trimming several requested line items and resolving a handful of decisions to send forward as recommendations to the Town Council.

The board’s review emphasized a spreadsheet approach that uses multi‑year averages to justify lower line items for recurring costs such as office supplies and printing. The chair framed the discussion as a validation of operating spending now, with capital expenditures to be handled separately.

One of the night’s substantive approvals was a recommended FY2027 operating budget for the municipal government center (the Overbrook Academy property). After debating utilities, insurance, and potential lease or tenant scenarios, the board voted to recommend a $39,000 operating appropriation for the site, with one member recording an opposition. Members stressed the uncertainty of revenue from tenants and urged careful lease terms and meter separation if the town rents space.

The board carried a lengthy discussion about a $60,000‑a‑year external grant‑writer contract. Members credited the contractor with past grant revenue but noted limited FY26 award data. The town manager presented an option to end the contract at its current term and add an assistant planner whose duties could include grant writing. Several members asked for productivity metrics, contract exit‑clause details and a salary‑survey justification before converting the service to an in‑house role; the consensus was to keep the external contract through its remaining year while gathering more data.

On staffing and compensation, board members applied a board recommendation of a 2.5% merit increase for non‑union (non‑CBA) employees, down from the town manager’s 3% recommendation, noting modest downstream payroll impacts and asking staff to reflect any precise FICA or tax changes.

After tabling a detailed IT budget pending further information about recent job‑title changes and expected net‑zero staffing impacts, the board addressed dozens of smaller departments and committees and approved recommended appropriations in rapid succession.

On community funding, the board debated a long list of small town‑aid line items that historically have been funded in a decentralized way. Citing inconsistent accountability and thin documentation for many recipients, the board consolidated the various small grants into a single departmental appropriation and approved a $50,000 discretionary pool to be allocated to requesting organizations. The town manager will have authority to distribute up to that total; the board said any allocation beyond that level should require council action and encouraged a clear request process and public reporting.

Procedurally, the board deferred approval of the May 5 minutes until the next meeting, tabled some departments for later sessions (including IT, where more data was requested), and closed the meeting after calling for public comment (no speakers came forward).

What’s next: Board members asked staff for additional data — multi‑year spending trends per line, FY26 grant‑writer productivity, and salary‑survey documentation for planning staff — to inform Tuesday follow‑up sessions on the larger departments and capital items. The board’s formal recommendations will be forwarded to the Town Council as part of the budget cycle.