By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
The Town Council voted unanimously, 9-0, to approve a $121 million fiscal year 2027 budget that officials say preserves services, avoids layoffs and helps manage rising long-term costs.
The $121,014,415 budget takes effect July 1 and includes funding for municipal operations, schools, capital projects and $4.18 million in debt obligations associated with the new high school project.
Councilor and Finance Subcommittee Chair John Simmons said the budget was shaped through months of discussion, including joint meetings with the School Committee, the State of the Town presentation, departmental reviews and public hearings.
“We went line-by-line through every department budget,” Simmons said.
No new municipal positions were added, though several part-time roles were converted to full-time to improve efficiency and allow staff to work across departments. Simmons said town officials are focused on streamlining operations and improving public-facing services.
He described the spending plan as “not an exciting budget” — a characterization he viewed as a positive.
“We don’t have cuts, we don’t have layoffs, we don’t have loss of any programs, we’re not talking about overrides,” Simmons said. “We’re going to keep everything running as is with no changes.”
School budget focused on maintaining services
Much of the budget discussion centered on education spending, which accounts for nearly half of the town’s operating budget.
The approved School Department budget totals approximately $53.5 million, a roughly 4% increase over the current fiscal year. School officials have described it as a “minimum feasible budget” that maintains existing services while addressing rising costs, particularly in special education and contractual salary obligations.
Simmons noted the district will add four positions through internal reallocations and other funding sources, rather than through the budget. The additions include an assistant principal and moderate special education teacher at Amvet Boulevard School, an out-of-district special education coordinator and a districtwide board-certified behavior analyst.
School officials have said the positions are intended to address growing student needs and help control future special education costs.
“These are critical positions they felt they had to fill,” Simmons said.
While the budget allows the district to meet immediate needs, Simmons said it leaves little room for new programming.
“That increase does not allow growth inside the school programs,” Simmons said. “But it does prevent layoffs and cuts.”
Careful planning credited for stability
Several councilors pointed to North Attleborough’s ability to maintain services at a time when many Massachusetts communities are facing difficult budget decisions.
Earlier this spring, North Attleborough Town Manager Michael Borg projected health insurance increases approaching 20%, identifying them as one of the town’s most significant budget challenges. Pension costs are also climbing steadily, increasing nearly 8% in FY27. Combined, non-departmental expenses total more than $34 million, which limits flexibility across the rest of the budget.
Town Council Vice President Keith Lapointe credited years of cautious budgeting and spending restraint for helping the town remain financially stable.
“I think part of the value of where we are now is because since 2018, we’ve been very careful with recurring expenses,” Lapointe said.
He also praised department heads for maximizing limited resources.
“As you go through the budget, I was struck by how small some budgets are and how much they do with the little bit of money,” Lapointe said.
Council President Justin Pare said long-term planning has become increasingly important as financial pressures on municipalities continue to grow.
“I think it has gotten more difficult to do what we’re doing right now, this year more than last year or the year before,” Pare said. “It’s still a precarious position, but we’re managing it incredibly well.”
On May 12, Attleboro Mayor Cathleen DeSimone proposed a FY27 budget that included seven layoffs, seven unfilled vacant positions and reduced library hours to close a $2.5 million budget gap driven largely by rising health insurance costs.
Mansfield faced similar challenges. Facing a $3.8 million FY27 budget gap, Town Manager Mallory Aronstein told the North Star Reporter that the town is laying off two employees, leaving five positions unfilled and suspending its senior tax work-off program, alongside cuts and layoffs in the School Department.Â
Simmons said long-term planning and financial discipline have helped the town avoid the cuts being seen elsewhere.
“Looking around to other neighboring towns, we don’t seem to be having the issues presently,” Simmons said.