Shrewsbury Finance Committee Opens Budget Hearings on $169.8 Million FY27 Proposal

SHREWSBURY — March 17, 2026 — Shrewsbury Finance Committee opens three-night budget hearings on a $169.8 million fiscal year 2027 proposal. Town Manager Kevin Mizekar presented the balanced budget Tuesday to the Finance Committee, chaired by Gene Buddenhagen, detailing $94.2 million for education, $37.5 million for municipal operations, $26 million in shared support, and $12.1 million in debt service — the fourth consecutive year of debt service decline. Mizekar said department head requests were cut by $2.4 million to reach balance, and highlighted the proposed launch of an emergency medical services program within the fire department, to be seeded with free cash and operational between January and March of 2027 with one coordinator and eight firefighter paramedics or EMTs. The meeting's sharpest concern came from Regional Health Director Annette Garcia, who told the committee that a $461,000 Public Health Excellence Grant — not guaranteed beyond fiscal year 2027 — currently covers $136,000 in staff salary shortfalls and that losing it would force the department to cut inspectors and miss minimum statutory inspection requirements across Shrewsbury, Grafton, and West Boylston. Building Commissioner Patty Shan separately flagged a backlog of annual inspections at roughly 180 apartment complexes, citing staffing shortfalls and more complex code requirements effective July 2025; her office collected $1.9 million in permit fees in 2025, all deposited to the general fund.