Taunton council reviews FY2025 spending plan, refers $297.2 million operational budget to full council

Taunton’s Committee of the Whole met in a special session to review the administration’s proposed fiscal year 2025 municipal budget and voted to refer the total FY2025 operational budget — $297,226,756.01 — to the full municipal council for a first reading.

D'Oreal Dela Russo, the city’s chief financial officer and budget director, framed the proposal as a “balanced fiscal year 20 25 budget,” telling councilors the plan preserves city services while expanding community programs and increasing school funding by more than $7 million to exceed net school spending requirements. Dela Russo also said the administration expects to close the year with a reserve roughly equal to 15% of the total budget and to limit stabilization withdrawals to about 1%.

Presenters identified the largest cost pressures as education fixed costs, rising health insurance and pension liabilities, and increases in trash-pickup and other service costs. Throughout the hearing, department managers walked councilors through line items and many councilors took the individual departmental budgets under advisement for further review.

The referral motion was offered and seconded at the end of the hearing; the committee approved sending the FY2025 operational budget to the full council for a first reading. No formal reductions or final appropriations were adopted at the Committee of the Whole meeting; the votes on department budgets were procedural motions to take items "under advisement."

The council also asked the administration to post the full budget materials online after adoption and requested several supplemental follow-ups, including a scheduled invitation for Superintendent Cabral and the school committee for a dedicated school budget presentation.

The Committee of the Whole adjourned after formal votes and closing remarks praising interdepartmental collaboration.