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Scituate approves FY2027 budget, sets tax rate and authorizes $400,000 road borrowing
Summary
Voters at Scituate’s June 2 financial town meeting approved the $47,739,257 fiscal 2026–27 budget, set a tax rate that reflects roughly a 3% effective increase, and adopted five resolutions, including a late-added $400,000 borrowing for road, bridge and sidewalk work.
Scituate — In a meeting that ran more than three hours on June 2, the qualified electors of Scituate voted to approve the town’s proposed fiscal year 2026–27 budget totaling $47,739,257 and adopted five warrant resolutions, including a $400,000 borrowing for road, bridge and sidewalk projects under the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank program.
Moderator Harry Hall opened the assembly and set the ground rules for motions and voice votes. “The budget as proposed totals $47,739,257,” Hall said while reading the material circulated to voters; he explained that the tax rate, if approved by the assembly as presented, reflects an approximate 3% effective tax-rate increase.
After extended public discussion and a series of procedural motions, the assembly voted to consider the budget as a single question and then approved the budget “as amended” by voice vote. The moderator then closed appropriations and called the assembly to consider five resolutions listed in the warrant.
The assembly approved the following resolutions by voice vote: resolution 1, authorizing the treasurer with the town council president to borrow up to $3,000,000 in anticipation of taxes for current expenses and maturing obligations; resolution 2, placing back taxes collected in FY2026–27 into the general fund; resolution 3, which set the tax rate and payment schedule for the coming year; resolution 4, which restricts transfers out of departmental line items over $10,000 without town council approval and limits use of more than $300,000 of unassigned general-fund balance without a financial town meeting; and resolution 5, authorizing the treasurer and council president to borrow up to $400,000 for road, bridge and sidewalk projects under a loan agreement with the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank.
A motion to reduce the interest rate on past-due taxes (an amendment to resolution 3) from 12% to 6% was proposed by a voter and seconded, but the assembly rejected the amendment after officials said cutting the penalty would reduce anticipated revenue by roughly $60,000 and would require either higher taxes or use of fund balance to close the gap.
Officials and staff described several budget details during the meeting. The school department’s interim finance director, Rob Baxter, told voters the district is seeking to maximize state reimbursements for capital work and estimated Scituate’s school reimbursement rate at about 35% for projects approved by the Rhode Island Department of Education. On personnel costs, town staff explained that an apparent $60,000 increase in one salary line largely represented the reassignment of a previously part-time position to full-time and the reallocation of that salary between line items rather than a single large raise.
The moderator declared appropriations closed after the assembly approved the budget; the meeting adjourned after the five resolutions were adopted.
Votes at a glance: resolution 1 — adopted; resolution 2 — adopted; resolution 3 (tax rate) — adopted (attempt to lower late-payment interest from 12% to 6% failed); resolution 4 (limits on transfers/use of fund balance) — adopted; resolution 5 (borrow up to $400,000 for roads) — adopted.
The meeting record shows most votes were voice votes without roll-call tallies; where specific tallies or individual roll-call votes are required or recorded in the minutes, those will appear in the official minutes maintained by the town clerk.
