TRUMBULL — The Board of Finance approved a $221.7 million budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, that now heads to the Town Council for final approval.
That translates to about a 3.92% tax increase for the next fiscal year, if the budget passes with no significant alterations, which would be around $589 more for the average household, according to town officials.
Overall, the general government budget came out to $32.4 million, with public safety coming out to around $17.6 million, public works to $11.1 million, and parks and recreation at $3.8 million.
Education, as usual, takes up a majority of the budget, around 62% overall. While the schools had asked for $137 million, — up from the current $129 million —Tesoro’s budget reduced that amount to $134.3 million.
The board of finance put $500,000 back into the school budget, as part of a request from Superintendent Martin Semmel to bolster some of the district’s programming needs, along with additional bussing, that he felt would fall short with the cuts this year.
The primary drivers of the schools’ increase are contractual salary increases and rising insurance rates, officials said.
“Our current fiscal environment requires all of us to work collaboratively and find solutions that work for both the board of ed and the town of Trumbull,” said Board of Finance member David Galla.
He added the $500,000 “results in a minimal budget cap, we believe, and avoids impact on students and the need for staff reductions at scale, supporting the Board of Education’s evolving needs and the town of Trumbull’s collective mission of educational excellence.”
Board of Finance member David Pia had moved to give the schools $1.5 million more than Tesoro proposed, but the other members turned it down.
On the townside, the Board of Finance added in $20,000 for the first selectman’s office to contract a communications consultant to create a new communications strategy for the town.
It also added $35,000 to the Economic Development department to make a part-time position full time, to assist with several large projects, such as the redevelopment of Trumbull Mall. The budget allocates $50,000 specifically for consultations related to the project.
The town council will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. on April 27 at town hall on the budget, with a final vote tentatively scheduled for May 4.