Sherborn advisory committee recommends $37.19 million FY2027 omnibus budget; warns levy capacity nearly exhausted

The Sherborn Advisory Committee recommended favorable action on the town’s FY2027 omnibus operating budget at a joint public hearing March 21, endorsing a $37,193,211 proposal that the town manager described as a level‑service budget balanced within Proposition 2½ without an operating override.

"Fiscal stability is our North Star, and we believe this budget achieves it," Advisory Committee Chair Stephen Bonder said, explaining the committee’s rationale after weeks of review. Town Administrator Jeremy Marsette told the boards the budget would require roughly a 5.17% property tax increase and would use virtually all remaining excess levy capacity under Proposition 2½; he characterized the proposal as a level‑service budget that avoids asking voters for an override.

Committee and Select Board members identified the primary cost drivers: contractual salary increases and an advisory 3.25% salary adjustment for non‑union employees, an 8% rise in the Middlesex County retirement assessment (about $122,000), phase‑in costs for regional dispatch services (roughly $168,000), higher health care costs, and increases in debt service. Education remains the largest single component, with the regional school budget at $30.1 million (a 3.49% increase) and Sherborn’s assessment at about $12.2 million (3.77%). Regional School Committee Chair Angie Johnson and Sherborn School Committee Chair Becca Hammond presented the schools’ budget and stressed continued focus on curriculum and staffing to match enrollment trends.

Select Board Chair Steven Tsai praised the collaborative process but cautioned that the town’s fiscal headroom is shrinking: "Levy capacity is nearly exhausted," he said, and the town will face sharper choices if cost pressures persist. The Advisory Committee voted 7–0–1 (one recusal) to recommend favorable action; the Select Board separately voted 5–0 to endorse the article. The recommendations will be forwarded to Annual Town Meeting for final votes.