Tewksbury Finance Committee Reviews $151 Million FY27 Budget Amid Long-Term Deficit Concerns

TEWKSBURY — February 2, 2026 — Tewksbury Finance Committee reviews a $151 million FY27 budget with a five-year deficit warning. Town Manager John presented a budget showing a $5.6 million increase over the prior year, with health insurance and retirement costs driving $1.7 million of the $1.9 million rise in town-side spending and the school operating budget up $3.3 million. The projected residential tax impact is $326. The five-year forecast projects a first deficit of roughly $3.2 million in FY28, rising further by FY29 and FY30, which the manager attributed to school costs, special education, transportation, and health care that have not receded since the pandemic. The town is also one of nine communities being sued by the state over MBTA Communities Act noncompliance, with the manager warning the litigation is already blocking school-side grant opportunities; the Select Board is set to discuss next steps on February 10. Finance Committee member Lindsey Dunlevy Tosto reported the Economic Development Committee is circulating a draft mission statement and planning a resident survey, describing commercial development in life sciences and advanced manufacturing as the least painful path to future fiscal stability.