NORTHBOROUGH – A draft version of Northborough’s fiscal year 2025 budget would result in an increase of $626 to the average single-family tax bill.
Finance Director/Town Accountant Jason Little went before the Select Board on March 11 to present an overview as to where the town was in terms of its fiscal 2025 budget. Northborough’s proposed budget calls for $79.8 million in general fund expenditures, which is an 8.37% increase over the previous fiscal year.
What is included in Northborough’s budget
With the changes in the finance and town administrator offices, Little said the town was behind an ideal schedule for the budget. The town began working on its budgets in mid-January, and since, administration and Little have met with all the town departments and the schools to review their budget requests.
According to Little, Northborough continues to face national and state economic uncertainty. He noted that Gov. Maura Healey’s budget calls for an increase to local aid of 1.46% — which amounts to an increase of $86,512 for Northborough — compared to common requests of local aid to increase between 3% to 4%.
“A 1.46% means that as time goes on, greater reliance becomes on the taxpayer and the tax base,” Little said.
There are challenges to maintain level services in town, he said.
The school budgets, including the regional assessments for Algonquin Regional High School and Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School, call for a total 5.5% increase. Fixed costs that are carried in the town budget — like health insurance, pension and the pay as you throw subsidy — are increasing.
“All of the town departments are facing some of the same conditions within them — inflation and then pent up needs within the department’s over-constrained budgets,” Little said.
According to his presentation, all of the town departments have requested increases to their budgets. The requests are still in development, but totaled $1.1 million, as of the Select Board meeting. In total, the town’s budget is estimated to increase by about $2 million, or 7.82%.
Several new positions were included within the draft budget. For the Northborough Police Department, the budget calls for a new patrolman, and a proposal to reduce a sergeant and add a lieutenant. The budget also proposes to add a town accountant, which would separate Little’s current title as both the finance director and town accountant.
The proposals also include a part-time town clerk; an administrative assistant within the Department of Public Works’ budget that would be partially funded by the enterprise fund; an assistant library director and an increase in the hours for the library assistant.
The total amount of capital requests that came before the Financial Planning Committee is $5.4 million, not including the proposed fire station project.
The draft budget, as it was presented to the Select Board, would lead to a 7% increase — or $626 — to the average single-family tax bill. The average tax bill in fiscal 2024 was $8,917.
“I think we all knew there were a lot of projects coming down the pipe, but here we are. So we’ll do the best we can,” said Select Board member Julianne Hirsh.
Meetings with the Appropriations Committee to review the budget requests and with the Financial Planning Committee to discuss capital requests are underway.
The final budget hearing will be March 25.
