Shrewsbury Select Board backs $169.8 million budget as town meeting approaches

SHREWSBURY — May 12, 2026 — Shrewsbury Select Board recommends $169.8 million FY27 budget over one dissenting vote. The board reorganized Tuesday following the annual town election, re-electing Teresa Flynn as chair in a 3-2 vote and seating Carlos Garcia as vice chair over Greg Richards by the same margin, with newly elected member Anand Sharma joining the majority. The board then voted to recommend the fiscal year 2027 general fund operating budget of $169,810,336 — a figure that includes $226,391 in additional school funding above Town Manager Kevin Mizekar's original proposal, bringing the school department's year-over-year increase to 4.5 percent, or roughly $4.065 million. Richards voted no, warning that committing recurring state aid to school spending could compress the town's fiscal runway before the next Proposition 2 1/2 override becomes necessary. Mizekar also announced he had signed a MassDOT agreement for $950,000 in Route 140 repaving, pushing projected total summer road investment to approximately $3.5 million. Annual town meeting opens May 18 at 7 p.m. at Oak Middle School.