Plymouth at a Fiscal Crossroads: Soaring Healthcare Costs and Declining Growth Trigger Budget Squeeze
PLYMOUTH - February 19, 2026 - Town Manager Derek Brindisi presented a sobering outlook for the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, warning that rising fixed costs—specifically a $5.1 million spike in health insurance—are outpacing the town’s revenue growth. With “new growth” from major developments like Pine Hills and Redbrook beginning to plateau, officials are dipping into excess levy capacity and cutting department requests to present a balanced $343 million budget.
The Full Story
The Committee of Precinct Chairs (COPC) met in the Great Hall to review the proposed FY 2027 budget and capital improvement articles ahead of the Spring Town Meeting. Town Manager Derek Brindisi and Finance Director Lynne Barrett detailed a “first pass” budget that originally faced a $9 million shortfall. The deficit was driven largely by health insurance premiums, which are projected to rise by 14%, and mandated pension obligations.
“Our expenses are outpacing our revenues... we’re going to have a budget problem. We haven’t even got into the operating budget yet and we’ve already consumed over $7 million in new expenses.” [11:30] — Derek Brindisi, Town Manager
To bridge the gap, the town administration implemented $3.7 million in cuts on the town side and $1.2 million on the school side. Notable cuts included:
Public Safety: Eight additional firefighter positions and two police cruisers were removed from the budget.
Information Technology: A request for eight new IT personnel was denied, despite reports that IT security monitoring now handles over 63 million suspicious emails annually.
Infrastructure: The town reduced its road improvement budget by $400,000.
A significant point of contention arose over Article 18 (Capital Improvements), specifically a $220,000 request for lighting and irrigation at the Training Green. Although Town Meeting previously rejected these items, Parks and Forestry Superintendent Nick Faiella argued they are essential for safety and to protect the new $87,000 irrigation investment. Precinct 16 Town Meeting member Ken Stone spoke in fierce opposition, noting the project was ranked 38th out of 40 priorities and that the Historical Commission recently voted against the lamps as a violation of the park’s historic Olmsted design.
Select Board member Kevin Canty also presented Article 14, requesting $500,000 from free cash for the Nuclear Mitigation Stabilization Fund. The fund, currently sitting at $11 million, is intended to eventually help the town purchase the 1,500-acre Holtec (formerly Pilgrim) property to prevent unwanted residential development.
Why It Matters
For the average resident, this budget signals a shift from “protecting the buffer” to making hard choices about services. The depletion of excess levy capacity (down to approximately $2 million) means the town has less flexibility to handle emergencies without tax overrides in future years. Furthermore, the Fire Department’s report that calls for service have doubled since 2015 while staffing remains flat suggests that response times and public safety could be impacted if growth continues without corresponding personnel increases.
Official Minutes & Data
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: To recommend rescinding $953,000 in borrowing authority for the Bartlett Road Bridge project (Article 16).
Outcome: The COPC moved past the discussion with no stated opposition, as the project came in under budget.
Vote: Consensus following presentation. ([01:13:32])
Public Comment
Ken Stone (Precinct 16): Urged chairs to oppose the Training Green lighting, citing it as a low priority during a “fiscal crisis” and noting it was already adjudicated by Town Meeting last fall. ([01:50:44])
Kathryn Holmes (Precinct 9 Chair): Expressed deep concern over placing more debt on taxpayers who are struggling with their own rising healthcare and grocery costs. ([01:34:14])
Kevin Lynch (Precinct 5): Called for a “Traveling Town Meeting” and better communication through a dedicated Facebook page for the 162 Town Meeting members. ([02:40:12])
What’s Next
Budget Workshop: The Select Board will hold a deep-dive workshop on March 4, 2026, to further analyze the budget process.
Next COPC Meeting: Scheduled for March 19, 2026, at 6:00 PM.
Open Meeting Law Training: A training session for all committee members was cancelled due to the storm, new date TBD.
Source Video: Plymouth Meetings: Local Seen Streaming Channel
changed the date of the Open meeting law training to TBD.
Genuinely alarming reporting here. The detail about fire service calls doubling since 2015 while staffing stays flat is probably the most under-discussed consequence of fixed cost bloat, because it's the kind of latnet risk that only becomes visible in a crisis. I've seen similar budegt dynamics in other mid-sized Massachusetts towns where health insurance premiums are crowding out service delivery, and the excess levy buffer eroding to $2M this fast is a real warning sign.