Stoughton Finance Committee Approves $150.8 Million FY27 Budget for Town Meeting

STOUGHTON — April 9, 2026 — Stoughton Finance Committee votes a $150.8 million FY27 budget and doubles the special education reserve. The committee, chaired by Carolyn Doolin, approved a balanced budget of $150,783,168.72 at its April 9 meeting, trimming the Stoughton Public Schools request from $73,077,362 to $69,245,872 — a roughly $3.8 million reduction — as part of an agreement reached the prior evening among Finance Committee, school, and town leadership. Town Manager Tom Coulter said the municipal side absorbed $250,000 in reductions, including a $104,000 deferral of the IT director vacancy left by a departing employee, bringing the Information Systems budget to $532,026.44. The committee also voted to deposit $1 million into the Special Education Stabilization Fund — double the originally planned amount — citing depleted Circuit Breaker reserves and the risk that a single out-of-district placement "could be for $400,000." A $1,150,000 deposit into the Fire Apparatus Stabilization Fund brings that account to approximately $2,416,291, enough to fund a ladder truck purchase. The full budget goes before Annual Town Meeting on May 4.