Springfield budget expected to top $1B for 1st time; hearings begin next week

SPRINGFIELD — Hearings are scheduled to begin to set next year's budget, which is expected to hit $1 billion for the first time.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno announced he will start the process for figuring the fiscal 2027 budget next week. He will use a system that he has followed for most of his administration by meeting in public with staff of each of the 28 departments to scrutinize all city spending.

The hearings will start at 2 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall and continue on March 19, 20 and 24, he said.

"My administration will continue to provide sound and prudent fiscal leadership in an efficient, effective, strategic and compassionate way to assure that city services continue to be provided for our residents and business community," Sarno said in announcing the budget meetings.

The city is operating on a $985 million budget , so the upcoming spending package is expected to hit a record high. Last year, department leaders were pushed to keep increases to under 3%, and the same is expected this year as the economy weakens and federal funding remains unsure.

"As we kick off our fiscal year 2027 budget process, our goal is to maintain core services with an eye on fiscal sustainability, as we continue to monitor the potential of economic uncertainty," said Cathy Buono, chief administrative and financial officer. "I look forward to working with the mayor and department heads to craft a thoughtful budget that lives within our means and doesn't mortgage the future."

City Councilor Zaida Govan is heading up a special committee on Fiscal Accountability and Budget Review, which is made up of at least four residents who have expertise in finance. She plans to start meetings on March 30 to follow up on the mayor's hearing.

Govan said she is also planning to attend as many of the mayor's budget hearings as her schedule allows.

"We will be looking for what we usually look at, like vacant positions that don't seem to be filled," she said.

But Govan said she also wants her committee to take another look at school expenses, since educational funding totals nearly two-thirds of the budget. While the state sets a minimum amount that every community must spend on education, there are some outside costs, such as transportation and food services, that can be examined, she said.

City Council President Tracye Whitfield, who created the committee on fiscal accountability, said she has been reviewing the budget line-by-line for years and is pushing to limit spending increases, so taxes do not go up next year.

Whitfield said she knows it will not be easy, since most union employees have settled contracts that will give them at least a 2% pay increase next year, and there are many other fixed costs. She said she is hoping residents, as well as city councilors, will join in the process and help come up with ideas to make the government more efficient, create new revenue streams and find new grants.

"I hope (Govan's) committee takes a deep dive into the budget and see where there is waste and what can be cut," she said.

Whitfield repeated her pledge that she will not vote for a budget requiring a tax increase, a practice she has followed for several years.

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