Gloucester City Council Votes 9-0 to Accept $178.7 Million FY27 Budget

GLOUCESTER -- May 5, 2026, Gloucester City Council unanimously accepts $178.7 million FY27 budget for 45-day review. The council voted 9-0 on May 5 at a special meeting to formally receive Mayor Greg Lundberg's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget of $178,690,650 and refer it to the Budget and Finance Committee, chaired by Ward 1 Councilor Scott Memard. Lundberg described the plan as a "level of service" budget shaped by inflation, negotiated raises, and health care cost pressure, and noted that the school department appears as a single appropriation line under state law, with internal staffing decisions left to the School Committee. "There is no reference here to position cuts, job cuts, any kind of cuts," Lundberg said. Council President Tony Grohs announced a hearing schedule running through June 16, when the council will take its final vote, with a public hearing set for June 9 and a School Committee appearance before the council on June 2.