Marlborough City Council Adopts $222.4 Million FY2027 Budget After $510,000 Cut

MARLBOROUGH -- May 18, 2026, Marlborough City Council unanimously adopted a $222,372,585 fiscal year 2027 municipal operating budget after the Finance Committee trimmed $510,000 from Mayor Arthur Dumas's original proposal. The amended budget represents a 4.0 percent increase over FY2026, down from the mayor's proposed 4.24 percent, and is projected to raise the average single-family tax bill by approximately $392 per year rather than the mayor's projected $420, a difference of about $28. Ward 5 Councilor John J. Irish, chair of the Finance Committee, reported that the panel voted 5-0 on May 11 to recommend the reductions, with the primary budget drivers being Marlborough Public Schools, Assabet Valley Regional School, and city health insurance costs. Before the vote, firefighter and union president Matthew Armour told the council the department answered roughly 9,225 calls last year, nearly 50 percent more than in 2014, while still operating at a minimum of 14 firefighters on duty, unchanged since the 1990s, asking leadership directly, "When exactly do you believe is an appropriate time to seriously address the staffing at the Marlboro Fire Department?" At-Large Councilor Mark A. Oram cited a fire chief's budget letter warning that the current staffing model would require reevaluation by July 2026. The council also confirmed Tiona Brown to the Conservation Commission and Dr. Sandeep Jubal to the Board of Health, both 10-0, and referred a discussion of Massachusetts's optional Chapter 40Y Starter Home Zoning Districts Act to the Urban Affairs Committee.