Shutesbury Finance Committee Presents 7.3 Percent Budget Increase Before Annual Town Meeting

SHUTESBURY -- May 7, 2026, Shutesbury Finance Committee previews a 7.3 percent budget increase and warns of structural fiscal pressures ahead of Saturday's annual town meeting. Finance Committee Chair A.J. Kasheta and members Susie Moser, Jim Walton, and Laura Soido presented the proposed FY27 budget at a Thursday evening public information session, describing a $565,217 increase driven by a $121,000 first-year library loan payment, a $65,000 health insurance rise, and inflationary materials costs in the highway department. Soido explained that the town retains approximately $547,048 in excess levy capacity, a buffer that prevents the need for a Proposition 2.5 override vote that seven out of ten Massachusetts communities are now facing, but said the committee expects to draw roughly $70,000 of that down this year. If all warrant articles pass Saturday, combined cash reserves would stand at approximately $1.05 million, with $703,000 in free cash and $350,000 in stabilization funds. The average Shutesbury homeowner, on a property valued at roughly $417,000, faces an additional $500 on next year's tax bill.