Charlton Finance Committee Opens FY27 Budget Hearings Across Four Departments

CHARLTON — March 11, 2026 — Charlton Finance Committee launches FY27 budget hearings across four departments, with a caution on long-term sustainability. Town Administrator Andrew Gazda presented a preliminary draft consolidated budget showing a projected positive variance of $1.1 million but warned that last year's new-growth windfall of nearly $5.5 million — roughly $5 million of which was one-time personal property tax revenue from commercial expansion — is unlikely to repeat, with FY27 new-growth projected conservatively at $225,000. DPW Superintendent Nick Peele outlined operating increases in overtime, road machinery maintenance, and building expenses, each roughly $10,000, plus a five-year capital plan anchored by a third roadside mower and combination dump-plow freightliner at approximately $230,000 per truck. Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical School Superintendent Kyle Lennar reported Charlton's FY27 assessment at $2,623,237 — the highest among the district's 10 member towns and a $73,244 increase over FY26 — driven in part by a mid-year 20 percent health insurance increase that cost the district $750,000 last fiscal year. Committee members challenged the district's seat-allocation formula, noting Charlton pays the most while receiving fewer freshman slots than its applicant volume might suggest is proportionate.