Weymouth Town Council Approves $212 Million Budget for FY2026
Council unanimously passes budget with $90 million for schools, significant allocations for public safety and infrastructure improvements
WEYMOUTH - June 16 - The Weymouth Town Council unanimously approves a $212 million budget for fiscal year 2026, including $90 million for schools and substantial funding for public safety departments.
Budget Management Committee Chairman Greg Shanahan presented the comprehensive budget during the June 16 council meeting, following months of committee work that began when the budget was first referred to the committee on April 22.
"I just want to take a minute and thank the administration and the department heads for all their cooperation and assistance during the budget hearing process," Shanahan says, also acknowledging council staff and committee members for their efforts.
Town Council President Michael Molisse praises the collaborative budget process, highlighting Weymouth's strong fiscal position compared to neighboring communities.
"We have a budget before us that's a great budget tonight and I know it's been said through the budget process but Weymouth is much better fiscally sound than our surrounding towns," Molisse says. "It says a lot for the town of Weymouth and speaks volumes for the fiscal responsibility in Weymouth."
The council approved the school department's $90.1 million allocation, representing the largest single departmental budget. Other major appropriations include $16.9 million for police operations and $12.6 million for the fire department.
The budget also allocates $47.6 million for pensions and benefits, $11 million for the Department of Public Works, and $9.3 million for debt service.
In addition to the general fund appropriations, the council approves several enterprise fund budgets, including $18.8 million for the sewer enterprise fund and $11.8 million for the water enterprise fund.
The council also authorizes $1 million from sewer enterprise retained earnings for sewer infrastructure and pump station improvements, along with $500,000 from water enterprise retained earnings for water maintenance improvements and upgrades.
Another $900,000 from water enterprise retained earnings is approved for water tank restoration and painting.
The budget includes $1.2 million for the Community Preservation Committee and $425,000 for the Facilities and Fields Enterprise Fund.
Beyond the regular budget items, the council approves several supplemental appropriations, including $350,000 from free cash for Medicare insurance expenses and $600,000 from free cash for fire department overtime.
The council also votes to transfer $1.45 million from free cash to cover the fiscal year 2024 snow removal budget deficit.
During the meeting, the council receives a new request from Mayor Robert Hedlund's office for $3.5 million to purchase new fire equipment, including a new E1 high-end aluminum fire pumper and a new Pierce 100-foot Ascendant fire tower aerial. This request is referred to the Budget Management Committee for further review.
The council also votes to suspend regular meetings during July and August, as is customary, though a special meeting is already scheduled for June 30. The next regular council meeting will be held Sept. 2, following the Labor Day holiday.
Before the budget votes, the council approves several other measures, including the appointment of Linda Glennon to the Weymouth Housing Authority for a five-year term expiring June 30, 2029.
The council also approves $150,000 from the Housing Fund balance account for providing a generator at Pope Towers, as requested by the Weymouth Housing Authority.
Other major items approved:
* $14,312.87 from the Reserve Fund to the Town Clerk election overtime line item
* $133,315 from the Reserve Fund to the Fire Department sick incentive pay line item
* Authorization for several revolving accounts for fiscal year 2026
* Authorization for gift accounts in accordance with Massachusetts General Law
* Capital improvement plan for fiscal years 2026 to 2030
The budget process included multiple committee meetings in May, a public hearing at the annual town meeting on May 19, and final committee votes on June 2 before coming to the full council for approval.
Molisse thanks Mayor Hedlund, Chief of Staff Ted Langill, Weymouth School Superintendent Melanie Curtin, Assistant Superintendent Brian Smith, and the Weymouth School Committee for their work on developing the budget.
The council's next special meeting on June 30 will address any remaining fiscal matters before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.