Beverly Finance Panel Hears FY27 Budget Briefing

Select Board · Meeting of June 4, 2026

Beverly's budget analyst warned the City Council that a structural deficit could force deep cuts to schools or services next year. City Auditor Jerry Perry told the Finance and Property Committee the mayor's $180,884,417 fiscal 2027 budget is balanced without using reserves, but said vocational education and school spending combined now exceed the city's levy limit by more than $1 million. "This is math... this is about math," Perry said.

He projected a $7.1 million deficit for fiscal 2028, up from roughly $3.9 million this year. Councillor Hausman called cutting schools "crazy" while questioning the constituent services and DEIB positions; Council President Flowers argued voters, not the council, should decide any override question. Vocational assessments rose 17.4 percent, or $689,801, for the year.

In the full story:

• FY27 Budget Overview and the Structural Deficit
• City Hall Renovation Project Revisited
• Looking Ahead to FY28 and a Possible Override
• Mayor Cahill's Executive Office Budget
• Finance Department Operations and Staffing Cuts
• PILOT Payments, Cemetery Funds and Other Revenue Questions
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,189 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of June 4, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.