The Town of Brookline announces that the Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Plan has been released and is now live on the Town’s Budget Central page.
Over the course of the planning process, the Town has made efforts to improve the user-friendliness, readability, and accessibility of the document for FY2026.
The spending decisions reflected in the Budget, Capital Improvements Plan (CIP), and Long-Range Financial Plan were driven by four key initiatives and priorities: Preserving our Financial Health; Planning for the Future; Ensuring Better, Greener, Income-Diverse Housing; and Improving the Public Way for All Users. These goals are outlined in the Policy and Initiatives section.
Notable elements of the budget plan include:
- The overall budget is up 4.4 percent over FY2025, partially driven by a projected 12 percent growth in Group Health premiums. The budget pulls back on expenses such as pausing the annual increase to Other Post-Employment Benefits and proposes $530,000 in reductions across Town departments to absorb this significant cost increase.
- The budget includes a new trash collection contract intended to continue and improve on collection services. Trash fees are set to increase to help offset this cost.
- Other cost pressures such as collective bargaining, utilities, health costs, Federal funding, and School budget concerns will continue to stretch municipal services.
Residents are encouraged to read the Budget Message section, which provides a thorough summary of the budget plan.
Town Administrator Chas Carey and Deputy Town Administrator Melissa Goff will present the FY2026 Financial Plan at a joint meeting of the Select Board, Advisory Committee and Expenditures & Revenue Study Committee on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in person and broadcast on Brookline Interactive Group (BIG). Residents are encouraged to attend this meeting to gain a better understanding of the Town’s goals and decisions regarding the plan.
View the full FY2026 Financial Plan here.
