Southbridge Subcommittee Advances Fourteen FY 2027 Budgets Totaling Over $21 Million

SOUTHBRIDGE — April 16, 2026 — Southbridge's General Government Subcommittee forwarded fourteen departmental budgets totaling more than $21 million for fiscal year 2027 at its April 16 meeting, recommending all items to the full Town Council with one flagged for re-examination. The three-member panel — Councillor Daniel, Ms. Clements, and Councillor Kelly, with Councillor Dow absent — approved budgets ranging from a $250 Zoning Board of Appeals allocation to a $7,180,232 group health and life insurance appropriation reflecting a 9.52 percent rate increase. The elections budget of $130,955 drew the sharpest scrutiny: members noted it represented a 125 percent increase over the FY 2026 figure and questioned why seasonal-positions spending had grown substantially compared with the prior presidential-election-year budget of $83,700. Town Manager Jeff Chaney acknowledged the discrepancy — "I would recommend keeping it in there right now, and if it has to be changed, when we go to the final question" — and committed to a deeper review before the full council vote. The $3,144,639 debt-service budget includes escalating interest on borrowing anticipation notes for the fire station, which Chaney said will be rolled into a 30-year bond once construction reaches substantial completion in FY 2027; a bond-rating call is scheduled for the following week. The panel also continued preliminary discussions on a town vehicle policy and a public meeting recording policy to its next meeting.