Gloucester City Council Approves $182 Million FY2027 Budget 8-1 on Schools

GLOUCESTER — June 16, 2026 — Gloucester City Council approves $182 million FY2027 budget with a lone dissent on school funding. The council voted 8-1 Tuesday to appropriate $55,778,897 for the school department, with Ward 2 Councilor Dylan Benson the only no vote, saying the city "needed to get a level service budget for the schools." Budget and Finance Chair Scott Memhard presented a total spending plan of $182,130,150 covering the general fund, four enterprise funds, Community Preservation Act funds, and revolving funds — a 6.11 percent increase over FY2026. Councilor-at-Large Hannah Kimberley, a teacher, voted yes but said she had received over 100 emails about program cuts including 65 about the cancellation of a cabinetry class, and named the family engagement coordinator for multilingual learners and the DECA program among positions she would not have eliminated. CFO Connor McCorkle warned that Gloucester's double-A bond rating is "a very real risk" given high debt per capita from a federally mandated secondary wastewater treatment plant upgrade. Water rates rise 9.2 percent to $13.00 per thousand gallons; sewer rates rise 10.7 percent to $22.01. A proposed amendment by Councilor-at-Large Patty Ann Page to shift North Gloucester grinder-tank maintenance costs off the citywide sewer rate failed procedurally on an 8-1 rescission vote.