Weymouth Town Council Approves $227.4M FY27 Budget and Greenlights Great Esker Park Bridge Design
WEYMOUTH - June 15, 2026 - The Weymouth Town Council successfully authorized a balanced $227,437,484 annual operating budget for fiscal year 2027 during its Monday evening session. In addition to securing funding for core municipal operations, the Council advanced a long-awaited environmental and recreational project, allocating $84,000 from Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds to plan and permit the reconstruction of the historic “Boy Scout Bridge” at Great Esker Park, which was destroyed by a storm eight years ago.
The Full Story
The fiscal year 2027 budget represents the culmination of months of comprehensive line-item review by the Budget Management Committee. Budget Management Chair Gary MacDougall noted that the financial plan fully funds critical town services including police, fire, schools, and public works, while simultaneously fortifying Weymouth’s stabilization and reserve funds.
The baseline budget package sailed through a series of department-by-department votes, with two executive adjustments modifying initial projections. An amendment introduced on behalf of Mayor Michael Molisse altered the Mayor’s Office budget from $653,000 to $731,398, while a corresponding decrease trimmed the Municipal Finance line item from $2,198,077 to $2,119,679. Both changes kept the town’s overall $227.4M appropriation footprint neutral. Alongside the operating budget, the Council approved an array of supportive financial measures, including a $500,000 free cash transfer to cover unanticipated special education costs and multiple infrastructure allocations drawn from water and sewer enterprise fund retained earnings.
Beyond overarching fiscal planning, local recreation took center stage during a public hearing regarding Great Esker Park. Planning and Community Development Director Bob Luongo detailed a request to allocate $84,000 in CPA funding for the design and permitting of a pedestrian footbridge. The original wooden walkway, heavily utilized by the community and the Great Esker Park summer nature camp, was swept away during a 2018 storm.
Luongo clarified that the town previously sought state trail grants for the effort without success, prompting Mayor Molisse to champion local CPA preservation funds instead. Because the structure crosses a tidal marsh in an environmentally sensitive area, the $84,000 will cover structural engineering, geotechnical borings, and a full slate of local, state, and federal permits. The design phase is expected to last roughly one year, and town officials are exploring partnerships with the Boy Scouts to support a portion of the eventual physical reconstruction.
