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Lawrence City Council denies mayor's FY2027 budget as presented after heated public hearing
Summary
After a two-hour public hearing dominated by opposition to cuts in school transportation, the Lawrence City Council voted on June 15 and failed to approve the mayor's proposed FY2027 appropriation order; the council scheduled a follow-up meeting to continue deliberations and requested updated state aid and transportation figures.
The Lawrence City Council on June 15 declined to approve the mayor's proposed FY2027 appropriation order after a public hearing that featured heavy opposition to removing funding for high-school bus service.
Madeline Claire, the city clerk, read Document No. 228-26 and the mayor's recommended line items for FY2027, which included detailed general fund totals and enterprise fund appropriations. The administration's presentation listed a total appropriated general fund and included the school appropriation figures the mayor recommended for the coming fiscal year.
During the public-comment portion, dozens of residents, parents and students pressed the council to retain funding for high-school transportation, arguing that shifting students to public transit or paid rides would harm attendance and safety. After the hearing, the Budget and Finance Committee's report was presented and accepted by the council as a committee report.
City budget staff then told the council that updated state "cherry sheet" numbers from the Massachusetts Senate changed several figures: the school appropriation request was revised to $318,045,957, narrowing an earlier gap and leaving a variance of $594,794 to be resolved. Council budget staff said that the updated figure included full funding for transportation and for leases as reported by the school CFO in that morning's email to the council.
Councilors then proceeded to a roll-call vote on approving the FY2027 budget as presented. The motion to approve failed in a recorded vote, and the chair declared that the budget as presented had been denied. The council scheduled a special meeting for two days later to continue budget deliberations and gave the administration 45 days under the charter procedures to put forward revisions if needed.
Why it matters: Adopting an appropriation order requires a two-thirds vote under the city's rules and state practice for appropriation orders; amending the budget requires a simple majority. The city attorney read a memo at the hearing clarifying the legal thresholds and the council's limited powers to add funds (the mayor can propose supplemental funding through the levy limit). The updated state aid numbers reduced, but did not fully eliminate, the reported shortfalls.
What to watch: The council asked the administration and the school finance office for current FY2026 transportation spending, any outstanding amounts owed to contractors (including NRT), and additional documentation on leasing and Charter/choice assessments. Those numbers will shape whether the council can approve a revised budget without tapping levy capacity or making cuts elsewhere.
