Belchertown Finance Committee Approves All FY27 Budget Warrant Articles 4-0

BELCHERTOWN — April 17, 2026 — Belchertown Finance Committee unanimously approved all financial warrant articles for the town's $69,389,027 fiscal year 2027 budget at its April 17 meeting. The committee, voting 4-0 on every article, cleared more than 20 separate appropriations for both a Special Town Meeting and the Annual Town Meeting, both set for May 11 at Town Hall. The largest single appropriation was $36,281,955 for the town school department, a 2.08 percent increase, while $1,480,362 for Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School District reflected a 6.2 percent decrease tied to lower Belchertown enrollment. The committee also authorized approximately $3.2 million in capital borrowing under a 10-year bond scenario carrying roughly $445,000 in total interest at 3.75 percent. Chair Brian Gibbons flagged a recurring concern about the school department's use of approximately $500,000 in savings from the Cold Spring School closure: "I'm really afraid that we're going to be in the same position next year that they were in last year before the override." The $559,921 second-year cost of the town's proposition two and a half override — covering six firefighters, a grants manager, and an ambulance lease — will appear in December 2026 tax bills. The committee's formal FY27 Fiscal Report was accepted for public distribution, noting a stabilization fund balance projected at $2,732,594, representing approximately 4 percent of the operating budget, below the 5 to 8 percent recommended threshold.