Shrewsbury Finance Committee Defers FY27 Operating Budget Vote, Schedules May 14 Meeting

SHREWSBURY -- April 16, 2026, Shrewsbury's Finance Committee deferred a vote on the FY27 operating budget after the School Committee approved a last-minute revised request. Acting Town Manager Keith Baldinger told the eight-member panel Thursday that Superintendent Dr. Sawyer's revised school department budget arrived less than 24 hours before the meeting, and that the Select Board had not reviewed it, leaving the town manager's recommended 4.25 percent school budget increase as the operative figure. The committee recommended all other warrant articles, including a $350,000 appropriation for Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services (Article 21), a $2,852,671.57 capital improvement plan (Article 22), a $600,000 transfer to the general stabilization account (Article 16), and a $475,000 seed appropriation for a new fire apparatus replacement stabilization fund (Article 34). The $650,000 Maple Avenue field lighting proposal (Article 28) passed 6 to 2 after a debate over whether existing fields meet community demand. Budget Director Alexandria Martinez said approved free cash appropriations would reduce the town's balance from $11.2 million at the start of FY26 to just over $6 million, approximately 3.5 percent of budget. The committee scheduled a return meeting for May 14 to vote on Article 5 before the annual town meeting opens May 18.