By David Porter

Amherst’s proposed town budget for Fiscal 2027 envisions a 3.8% increase from 2026, to $107.1 million, and won’t require a property tax override, Finance Director Sean Mangano said during a presentation to the Town Council on May 4.

The proposed budget plans total operating spending of $83.2 million, a 4.1% increase from the fiscal 2026 operating budget.

The fiscal 2027 plan includes funding for several new positions in the next 12 months and beyond, and a 7.9 percent increase in Department of Public Works funding in anticipation of a new collective bargaining agreement. On the down side, residents’ water and sewer bills are expected to rise.

Of note, the proposed budget aligns with the Town Council guidance for operating spending increases for the school districts, and is about $503K lower than what the School Committee had requested for the elementary school district.

Some of the other key items within the proposed budget include:

• The proposed budget would add two fire/EMS positions in Fiscal 2027 – one a new position and one a formerly frozen position – with plans to add three more positions in 2028 and two in 2029. 
• About $2.4 million would be allocated for the first year, funded at $5 million, of a planned five-year, $25 million program to fix roads and sidewalks.
• Capital funding would rise 6.8 percent to $10.3 million, with no new debt.
• In the recreation department, a part-time aquatics instructor would be added and $45,000 would be allocated to the Morning Movement and Mentoring Program, a popular early morning program started several years ago that supports teens as they transition from middle school to high school.
• Water rates are expected to rise from $6.45 to $6.75 per 100 cubic feet, an increase of 4.65 percent; sewer rates are expected to rise from $6.95 to $7.30 per 100 cubic feet, an increase of 5.04 percent. Both rates reflect a reduction in usage due to the impending closure of Hampshire College. 
• $200,000 would be allocated for planning and consulting services to study new uses for the Hampshire College and Wildwood School sites. 

The presentation also included a proposal to increase building permit fees for new construction of commercial, multi-family and mixed-used developments in town that would bring Amherst in line with some of its neighbors. In a hypothetical project costing $26.8 million, Amherst’s current fee structure of $.55 per square foot for the first unit and $.35 per square foot for the remaining units would yield a fee of about $35,000. In contrast, both Hadley and South Hadley, which charge fees of $10 per $1,000 of estimated cost, would receive more than $268,000.

The Finance Committee has begun its detailed review of the budget, and held a public hearing on the budget on May 11, and the council is scheduled to hold a vote on June 15.