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Board of Finance tentatively approves FY26/27 budgets for library, police and fire 6-0
Summary
At a March 2 Board of Finance budget meeting, members tentatively approved FY26/27 budgets including $7.31 million for police, $4.35 million for fire services, a $1.05 million library budget and a $285,000 contingency; public comment urged no tax increase for seniors.
The Waterford Board of Finance met on March 2, 2026, at Town Hall and tentatively approved several department budgets for fiscal year 2026–27 by unanimous votes of members present.
Public commenter Helen Kwasniewski of 227 Bloomingdale Road urged the board to hold the line on taxes for senior citizens and called for “zero increase in the budget,” criticizing what she described as wasteful spending and library overtime. She also said the Quaker Hill Fire Department is understaffed and praised the police chief while noting department staffing and budget figures.
The meeting record shows a procedural standing motion to waive separate series motions for budget consideration; the transcript notes an inadvertent procedural omission (no vote taken at the time) but records the motion as waived. The board then moved through and approved individual department requests: the library budget of $1,045,991; the Police Department budget of $7,307,124; the Fire Services budget of $4,345,218; the Board of Finance operating budget of $86,406; and a contingency fund of $285,000. Each recorded motion passed by a vote of 6-0-0.
Committee member Michael Rocchetti made the motions to approve the library, police and fire budgets; Joseph Filippetti seconded those motions. Bill Sheehan moved and Robert Tuneski seconded approval of the contingency fund. The minutes list six voting members present: Chairman Glenn Patterson, Bill Sheehan, Michael Rocchetti, Robert Tuneski, Joseph Filippetti and Ann Peabody. The meeting adjourned at 9:17 p.m.
The public comment period included several requests for restraint on increases to property taxes, with Kwasniewski saying, “She hopes and prays that the Board votes in the best interest of the residents and not just by party lines.” The minutes also note Kwasniewski’s itemized observations about staffing and overtime: she cited the library’s budget and staffing numbers and suggested scheduling changes to avoid overtime, and she listed police staffing figures included in the record.
Next procedural steps for these tentative approvals are not specified in the minutes; the items recorded here are the Board of Finance’s tentative actions on department requests for FY26/27.
