West Bridgewater Select Board Defers FY27 Budget Vote, Approves Six Employment Contracts

WEST BRIDGEWATER -- April 1, 2026, West Bridgewater defers FY27 budget vote and approves six town employment contracts. The Select Board voted unanimously Wednesday on a slate of contracts, covering the GIS Administrator, Fire Chief, Inspector of Buildings and Zoning Enforcement, Assistant Director of Public Works, Assistant Town Administrator, and Town Administrator David Gagne, while pushing the full budget vote to April 22 after Monday's discussions with school officials raised the possibility of a revised school spending plan. Gagne warned the board that the town is transferring $2 million from free cash to balance its operating budget, a balance inflated this year by $1.2 million in unexpected warehouse tax revenue and $700,000 in interest income, neither of which is guaranteed going forward. "If we start hiring and we do not have the surplus, we will be doing the opposite" of avoiding layoffs, Gagne said, citing teacher cuts in Framingham, Boston, and Lexington. The Capital Budget Committee recommended 12 of 17 town-side requests totaling just over $3 million, excluding an $800,000 town hall staircase renovation the town cannot afford this year. Town Meeting is scheduled for May 11.