Dunstable Opens FY2027 Budget Season With $784,000 Deficit Gap

DUNSTABLE — January 6, 2026 — Dunstable officials project a $784,000 budget deficit for fiscal year 2027, with no override planned. The town administrator presented department requests showing public safety wages up 11 percent, public works up nearly 26 percent, the Nashoba Board of Health assessment up 30 percent, and health insurance projected to climb 14 percent, while a PFAS mitigation project is driving excluded debt service sharply higher. The Groton-Dunstable Regional School District placed its operating budget at $54,045,663, a 6.46 percent increase, and projected a school-side deficit of between $907,891 and $1,353,528 depending on how both towns align their assessments. District CFO Sherry reported the district has already cut two student services FTEs and reduced its bus fleet from 18 to 17 vehicles, saving $86,000, but warned seven to 10 additional positions could be eliminated. Every town department has been ordered to resubmit budgets with a 15 percent reduction, and board members agreed Tuesday that another override — following last year's $480,000 measure — is not a viable option for this cycle.