Topsham Select Board, Finance Committee Review FY 2027 Draft Budget

The Topsham Select Board and Town Finance Committee convened Monday evening in the Don Russell Room at Town Hall for their scheduled joint review of the draft FY 2026–27 municipal budget, examining a $14.67 million spending plan that Town Manager Mark Waltz first brought to the Select Board during a series of sessions in early February.

The proposed budget represents roughly a 3% increase over the current year. Among the items discussed was a request for permission to increase the capital and EMS ambulance resupply budget, though the full details of that request were not immediately available and are expected to be documented in the meeting minutes.

Waltz has pointed to personnel costs as the primary force pushing spending upward. "Most of our expenses are for people, it's for paying the wages of the police officers, the firefighters, the public works drivers and everyone else," he said. "Health insurance goes up more than inflation, which makes it harder." He also cited rising vendor contract costs: "The other thing that increased is a lot of our vendor contracts, like the companies that inspect our sprinkler systems and work on our generators."

The town budget is only one piece of what Topsham property owners will ultimately see on their tax bills. The town is still waiting on spending plans from Sagadahoc County and School Administrative District 75, both of which feed into the final tax rate calculation. On the school side, Superintendent Heidi O'Leary was expected to present her recommended budget to the SAD 75 school board on March 9. The school board must approve a final draft before sending it to voters at the polls in June.

The Finance Committee, chaired by Gail Eaton, is a nine-member body appointed by the Select Board; all members serve three-year terms and hold full voting rights. The committee's budget season runs from its first meeting in January straight through to Town Meeting, a stretch the town describes as an intense schedule. Other named members include William Thompson, Donald Stein, Robert Dodge, Kimberly Mondonedo, Ruth Lyons, and Vicki Bode. Two seats on the nine-member panel were not listed in available town records.

Both the Select Board and Finance Committee retain the ability to recommend changes to Waltz's proposed figures before the plan goes to the public. The next formal opportunity for community input is a public hearing on April 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Don Russell Room. The final word belongs to voters at Town Meeting on May 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the Forum at Mt. Ararat High School.

Waltz urged residents to engage before that date. "As they look over things, feel free to contact us as they have questions or suggestions; reach out to their Select Board members," he said. "Ultimately, it's the public's budget, which is the beautiful thing about the town meeting — everyone has a chance to come and vote on it.