Townsend Finance Committee Unanimously Approves $28.8 Million FY2027 Budget

TOWNSEND — April 16, 2026 — Townsend Finance Committee approves $28.8 million fiscal 2027 budget unanimously. The committee voted at its April 16 meeting to accept the omnibus spending plan presented by interim Town Administrator Karen, with a single adjustment moving $3,500 from the snow and ice account to highway overtime. The budget draws $220,000 from free cash — including $50,000 for town counsel, $35,000 for elections, and $135,000 blended across departments — and projects a tax rate of $14.70 per thousand based on a levy requirement of $23,063,898. A parallel no-override budget is standing by in the event the April 27 police department Proposition 2½ ballot question fails, which would cost an additional $56,000 in police wages and require roughly $18,000 more in free cash to balance. The committee noted the town has reduced its free cash reliance from $786,000 in fiscal 2023 to a projected $135,000 in the current plan.