Finance Committee approves $176.4 million FY2027 budget with focus on education and core services.
Finance Committee · Meeting of February 12, 2026
Chelmsford Finance Committee backs $176.4 million FY2027 operating budget. Town Manager Paul E. Cohen reported the budget allocates $78.15 million to Chelmsford Public Schools, a 3.3 percent increase, and funds general government operations at $40.1 million, up 3.2 percent, while maintaining level staffing across all departments.
Benefits and insurance costs absorb $2.77 million of the $7.3 million overall increase, driven by a 7.9 percent rise in health insurance premiums and a $860,000 boost in the Middlesex County Retirement System assessment. Finance Director John Sousa Jr. presented a parallel capital plan recommending 20 projects totaling $6.4 million in bonded debt, including a $1 million high school roof replacement and an $850,000 Adams Library HVAC upgrade. The budget relies entirely on Chelmsford's $135.1 million property tax levy capacity and assumes Massachusetts will fund Chapter 70 education aid at $150 per pupil, not the Governor's proposed $75.
In the full story:
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Source: the Finance Committee meeting of February 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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