Council Sets FY27 Budget at $159.4M and Schedules May 12 Referendums on Budget and Broad Street Project
Special Meeting
Summarized by: claude-sonnet-4-6 | Date: 2026-04-29
- FY27 General Fund budget approved at $159,403,000 — a 4.57% mill rate increase, from approximately 28.45 to 29.75 mills
- $2M in open cash reserves applied to offset tax rate increase; motion to reduce to $1.5M failed 3-5
- Board of Education budget held at $93,714,280; motion to cut $1M for SEL and language instruction positions failed 3-5
- OPEB contribution increased by $100,000 to $300,000 to address long-term post-employment benefit liabilities
- Budget referendum and Broad Street Traffic Calming Project referendum ($2,910,000, fully grant-funded) both set for May 12, 2026
- Senior tax relief set at $692,500; veteran tax relief at $80,975; volunteer firefighter exemptions at $118,500
- Public commenters raised affordability concerns, citing school budget growth outpacing inflation and rising household costs
The Council finalized the FY27 budget at $159.4 million, applying $2 million in cash reserves to hold the mill rate increase to 4.57%. A minority of councilors sought deeper cuts, particularly to the Board of Education's budget, but were outvoted. The BOE budget of $93.7 million passed largely intact, with supporters noting contractual obligations and bipartisan Board approval. Separately, residents petitioned successfully to bring the Broad Street road diet project to a public vote; both the budget and the Broad Street referendum will appear on the same ballot May 12th. The Broad Street project carries a $2.91 million price tag funded entirely by state and federal grants, with no direct cost to Windsor taxpayers.