PEABODY — The Finance Committee of Peabody met again to review the 2027 Fiscal Year budget, continuing the review and approval process with a current total of $340,000 in budget cuts.
At the second Finance Committee meeting for the FY27 budget, the committee focused on finding what could be cut to make the next fiscal year easier financially for the city of Peabody. Since much of the financial strain appears to stem from security overtime issues, the committee continues to have difficulty reducing the budget to a more feasible level to alleviate the additional strain on taxpayers.
“I heard more motions to add tonight than I did to subtract. That’s a sad case. I don’t think any of us did our jobs this year,” Councilor Jon G. Turco said.
The Finance Committee spent some time deliberating on cutting the facility security unit, a position that was temporarily implemented during COVID-19 but was made permanent. The City Council voted 6-4 in favor of keeping this position.
The public services budget was approved at $14,487,962, with no cuts. The debt services budget was approved at $10,475,078 with no cuts made.
The Recreation Enterprise Account was cut due to an unfilled technician role at the golf course, reducing funding for the position to 50% of its budgeted amount to create some leeway until the position is filled.
The Recreation Enterprise Account budget was passed at $2,942,359.97 with no objections.
The council turned to address the Water and Sewer budget. Water has become a major issue for towns and cities across the United States, and Peabody is no different. With the strain on water supplies as droughts worsen, Peabody will see more strain monetarily.
In order to help the city cut down on spending, a decision was made to reduce the salary for the environmental engineer position by $80,742. The Water and Sewer budget was approved at $23,409,144 with no objections.
The Peabody Finance Committee will meet again on Tuesday, June 23, and Thursday, June 25, at 6 p.m. to complete the FY27 budget review and approval.
