Eastham finance director lays out FY27 budget and $2.79M override proposal; median home could pay about $465 more

The Eastham Select Board and Finance Committee held a public hearing on the proposed FY27 operating and capital budget on March 23. Rich Bienvenu, assistant town manager and finance director, presented what he called a 'level services' budget that requires roughly $47.1 million in spending and would need a Proposition 2½ override of about $2.79 million to avoid deep cuts.

Bienvenu told the board that three principal drivers are putting upward pressure on the town budget: rising transfer‑station hauling and disposal costs, mandatory county retirement/pension assessments, and health‑insurance premium increases. "With a little bit of growth in the values of our properties in town, there'd be about a $465 increase in property taxes for the median valued home," he said, explaining the estimate and how it is composed of base-budget increases, school needs and collective‑bargaining funding.

School costs account for roughly $460,000 of the override request because of inflation and mandated special‑education placements. Bienvenu also outlined a proposal to fund collective bargaining agreements over three years; the amount requested beyond the 3% levy growth is $1.575 million to fund pay adjustments and market competitiveness for town staff.

The presentation covered the town's capital-funding approach and reliance on free cash. Bienvenu said Eastham generated over $6 million in free cash this year (about $4 million new), in part because of one‑time interest on bond proceeds and underspending in departmental appropriations, but cautioned that those one‑time gains are unlikely to repeat and that free cash will be tighter next year.

To limit tax impacts the town will pursue grant funding for capital work, re‑prioritize some Community Preservation Act funds into wastewater infrastructure, and present a table of supplemental, line‑item articles (Article 2D) that voters could approve individually. Bienvenu said the supplemental table would be presented as separate ballot questions if placed on the warrant; if all four proposed supplemental items pass, they would add roughly $37 to the $465 median increase.

Committee members pressed for clarifications on enrollment numbers used to allocate school assessments, the timing of debt exclusions, specifics of library roof funding, and the composition of the proposed housing program funding. Bienvenu answered that operating assessments use the 'foundation enrollment' figure and capital assessments use an actual high‑school count per the regional agreement.

What happens next: The Select Board recommended the general fund operating budget (Article 2A) and agreed to place the supplemental Article 2D on the warrant; the board recorded a recommendation vote on Article 2D with one member abstaining (4–0–1). Town staff will finalize the detailed budget book for publication and prepare materials for town meeting and the ballot if the override is placed before voters.