Gloucester City Council Unanimously Accepts $178.7 Million FY2027 Budget for Review

GLOUCESTER -- May 6, 2026, Gloucester City Council votes 9-0 to accept Mayor Lundberg's $178.7 million FY2027 budget and open a 45-day review. The council convened a special meeting May 6 solely to receive the balanced spending plan, which totals exactly $178,690,650 in both revenues and expenditures. Mayor Greg Lundberg, presenting the budget to the full council, told members the administration aimed to "maintain a level of service budget" despite inflation and rising health care costs compressing available revenue under Proposition 2.5. Ward 1 Councilor Scott Memard, chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, moved to accept receipt and refer the plan to committee under MGL Chapter 44, Section 32; Councilor-at-Large Patty Ann Page seconded. The school department appears in the budget as a single appropriation line under MGL Chapter 71, Section 34, with the Gloucester School Committee retaining sole authority over internal spending decisions. Department-by-department hearings run through June 9, with a final council vote scheduled for June 16.