The Melrose Messenger
Keeping Melrosians Informed Since 2024
Fiscal Year 2027 Budget
City Council Budget Hearings: The Quick Version
May 23rd, 2025
The City Council officially began its Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget process last week - and we're here to give you the highlights!
In our chart, we summarize all the departments the City Council has heard from so far, focusing on any significant changes from last year's budget and how each city councilor voted. In general, you can expect a 2-3% increase in salary costs in each department (reflecting cost-of-living and longevity increases), and more significant increases in some expenses the city does not have control over, such as insurance premiums.
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City Budget Released; City Council Budget Process Begins
May 14th, 2025
The City Council officially began its Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget process on Monday evening when Mayor Jen Griograitis addressed a joint session of the City Council and School Committee and presented her proposed budget for the City Council’s approval.
The Appropriations and Oversight Committee of the City Council, on which all eleven city councilors sit, will meet on Monday and Thursday nights for the rest of May and into June to hear from the heads of each department and ask them questions about their proposed budgets.
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School Committee Approves Budget for 2026-27 School Year
April 17th, 2025
This week, the School Committee voted to approve the budget for the Melrose Public Schools for the 2026-27 school year, wrapping up their role in this year’s city budget process.
School Committee Chair Seamus Kelley and Vice Chair Matthew Hartman wrote in a letter: “While the override was a ‘game-changer,’ it wasn't a ‘cure-all.’ The override funds have immediate benefits, but they did not reverse all of the cuts that the schools faced over the last two years.” In terms of staffing, approximately 40 positions were cut between FY24 and FY26, and 17 of those have been restored through the override funds.
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The Melrose Messenger’s Quick Guide to City Budget Season
April 2nd, 2025
City budget season officially began last week when the Melrose Public Schools published their proposed budget for the 2026-27 school year (which corresponds with the city’s Fiscal Year 2027 - FY27). Budget season runs through July 1st, when FY27 begins.
Let’s do a quick rundown of what residents can expect this budget season.
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School Budget Emphasizes Stability, Makes Use of Override Funds
March 27th, 2025
At this week’s School Committee meeting, school officials presented their proposed budget for the 2026-27 school year (Fiscal Year 2027, or FY27). Although the city’s full budget will not be made public until later this spring, the school budget offers a glimpse of how some of the funds from the $13.5 million override voters passed in November will be spent in FY27.
Specifically, the funds that the city contributes to the Melrose Public Schools (MPS) budget have increased by over 20%, or $6.18 million, relative to FY26. (In contrast, the city’s contribution to the schools rose by less than $1 million from FY25 to FY26.) The amount that MPS receives from the state in Chapter 70 education aid is only expected to rise by 2.2% this year, based on preliminary estimates from the state budget process, resulting in a total increase of 12.5% in the MPS budget over last year.