Dartmouth presents $113.4M operating budget and 10‑year capital plan; sewer costs jump as PFAS rules change biosolids disposal

Director of Budget and Finance Gary Carrero and staff reviewed the town’s capital plan and operating budget, explaining assumptions, major investments and enterprise-fund drivers.

Carrero said the proposed general operating budget for FY27 is approximately $113,389,515, a 4.3% increase over the prior year. He said schools remain the largest expense, accounting for roughly 57% of operating expenses and about 65% when including certain school-related costs (Bristol Aggie and Volk). Revenue assumptions rely on property tax (about 71% of operating revenue), modest state-aid increases, local receipts and managed use of free cash and retained earnings.

Highlights of the capital plan include Axon TASER replacements for the police department, fleet and vehicle replacements across departments, school floor/asbestos work, technology upgrades, a $150,000 school bus replacement, and road maintenance funded in part by Chapter 90 and local retained earnings. Carrero said the town’s capital planning looks roughly 10 years ahead and is included in the meeting packet with a QR code linking to the plan.

Enterprise funds showed notable changes. The water enterprise appropriation request is about $8,063,044. The sewer enterprise is projected to rise from roughly $6.1M to about $7.5M. Officials said one primary driver is changes to state regulations related to PFAS (so‑called “forever chemicals”) that limit prior biosolids reuse practices; what had been a small revenue source from biosolids sale could turn into a significant disposal cost. Haddad estimated current disposal options could add roughly $1,000,000 annually to sewer costs unless a less expensive alternative is found.

Solid waste costs are increasing as well — rising disposal and recycling costs combined with limits on disposal capacity — and the town benefits from membership in the Greater New Bedford refuse district to keep certain landfill disposal costs lower than many neighboring municipalities. Carrero also described savings from a new joint-purchasing insurance arrangement that reduced health-insurance spend by an estimated $2.2M annually relative to prior arrangements.

Officials said a number of articles on the warrant are stabilization or enterprise‑fund appropriations (some requiring two‑thirds votes), and they previewed three special-town-meeting supplemental appropriations for FY26: $450,000 for water, $200,000 for sewer and $100,000 for solid waste, all funded from enterprise receipts.