Town Manager's Fiscal Year 2027 Budget

The Budget Process

The Town Manager is responsible for working with department heads to put together a proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The Town Manager's budget is then presented to the Select Board for their input and feedback. Ultimately, the Select Board is responsible for submitting to Town Meeting a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year. This process involves department heads, the Finance Committee, the School Committee, and many external partners.

This process is a close partnership between the Town Manager's Office and the Finance Department and begins as early as November each year. The process involves reviewing current expenditures, plans for new growth within government operations, and identifying the projected revenue for the upcoming fiscal year to ensure a balanced budget can be proposed to Town Meeting.

When the budget is nearly ready for Town Meeting, the Select Board convenes a Tri-Board Meeting which includes the Select Board, Finance Committee, and School Committee. It is during this meeting that priorities are ironed out, long-range goals are determined, and a final review of the proposed budget takes place.

Town Meeting has the ultimate budgetary authority and must pass the budget before it becomes official. This happens at the May Annual Town Meeting.

Budget Schedule:

January 5, 2026: Town Manager & Finance Director make first budget presentation based on initial budget requests and solicit feedback from the Select Board.

January 14, 2026: Town Manager & Finance Director make first budget presentation based on initial budget requests and solicit feedback from the Finance Committe.

January 26, 2026: Town Manager & Finance Director make second budget presentation to the Select Board incorporating feedback from Select Board and Finance Committee and present new department requests if applicable. & Select Board votes to open Town Meeting Warrant.

February 2, 2026: Tri-Board meeting was held at Tyngsborough Middle School for the School Committee to give their initial budget presentation to all three Boards. At the conclusion of this meeting, and after the School Committee identified a gap in funding, all three committees appointed representatives to work informally with the Town Manager and School Superintendent to identify a path forward to a balanced budget. You can watch the presentation here.

February 23, 2026: Tri-Board meeting between the Select Board, School Committee, and Finance Committee to discuss long-term debt and current budget for Fiscal Year 2027.

March 23, 2026: Capital Asset Management Committee makes presentation on final Fiscal Year 2027 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to the Select Board.

April 6, 2026: Tri-Board meeting between the Select Board, School Committee, and Finance Committee with Tyngsborough's State Representative and State Senator & presentation of balanced Fiscal Year 2027 budget.

April 13, 2026: Select Board reviews & approves final budget for Town Meeting approval.

April 28, 2026: Pre-Town Meeting Information Session at 6 PM at Town Hall.

May 5, 2026: Annual/Special Town Meeting at 7 PM at Tyngsborough Elementary School

Budget Office Hours:

Town Manager Colin Loiselle is pleased to once again offer Budget Office Hours as a part of the Fiscal Year 2027 budget planning process. First introduced for the FY25 budget, these meetings are intended to be informal opportunities for residents to meet with Town staff and review the budget in intimate and more comfortable settings than on the floor of Town Meeting. In each session, the budget is presented and staff are available to answer any questions. The goal is that residents will have the opportunity to better familiarize themselves with the budget before being asked to approve it at Town Meeting on May 6th.

This year's budget meetings will take place on the following days:

1) Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 3pm at the Center for Active Living

2) Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 5:30 PM - Virtual (Visit Town's Calendar for dial-in information)

3) Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 6:30 PM at Town Hall

No registration is required. Residents who are unable to attend one of the session above should contact the Town Manager's Office to set up a separate meeting.