Plymouth is grappling with a projected $4.9 million budget gap for the 2027 fiscal year, a shortfall that Town Manager Derek Brindisi warned will necessitate significant reductions in personnel and emergency services. During a "Where Do Your Taxes Go?" panel hosted by the League of Women Voters on February 12, Brindisi revealed that the town’s excess levy capacity—a financial safety net often compared to a home equity line of credit—has plummeted from $10 million just a few years ago to approximately $470,000 today.

The financial strain stems from a massive disparity between new revenue and skyrocketing fixed costs. While the town saw $11.5 million in new revenue from property taxes and new growth, it was offset by over $20 million in increased expenses. Brindisi identified health insurance and statutory pension obligations as the primary budget busters, noting that insurance costs rose 14 percent. Specifically, a single class of medication, GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, cost the town $3.3 million this year alone. Every year, Dr. Campbell, our finance team, and I sit with a select number of school committee and select board members to start the budget process, Brindisi said, describing this cycle as the most challenging in his four-year tenure. There is no fat on the bone left to cut.

The proposed remedy includes $3.7 million in cuts to town departments and $1.2 million from schools. For residents, this means the loss of eight new municipal positions, two police cruisers, and a denial of the Fire Chief’s request for eight additional firefighters. Brindisi noted that since 2015, fire department calls have doubled from 7,000 to 14,000 annually, while only eight staff members have been added in that decade. When we cut the budget, we are cutting people, and positions equate to services, Brindisi emphasized.

School Superintendent Dr. Chris Campbell presented a $128.7 million operational budget, highlighting the logistical complexity of managing 7,000 students across 104 square miles. He noted that the district’s buses travel 4,729 miles daily, the equivalent of a cross-country trip every single day. Specialized transportation for special education and homeless students has become a massive fiscal burden, with some van routes costing between $250 and $650 per day. However, Campbell pointed out that the district saves upwards of $10 million annually by educating 280 special education students in-house rather than paying for private placements. Our staff is our most critical asset, Campbell told the audience, noting that per-pupil spending remains near the state average.

The discussion grew pointed during public comment when residents questioned the town's reliance on residential taxes, which currently account for 86 percent of the tax burden. Jenny Davis of Precinct 4 expressed heartbreak over industrial land being converted into 40B affordable housing projects, which she argued increase the demand for services without providing a commercial tax base. We already have this land that was supposed to be commercial, can we not keep losing more of it? Davis asked. Brindisi agreed with the concern, citing the town's $20 million purchase of the Atlantic Country Club as a defensive move to prevent a 400-unit development that would have forced the construction of a new fire station.

With the closure of the nuclear power plant, which previously subsidized local rates, Brindisi warned that the town may eventually face a Proposition 2.5 override if health insurance costs cannot be reined in. Pat McCarthy of Precinct 18 argued that the public must be realistic about the costs of the amenities they enjoy. It’s always amazing to me that people want services, but they don’t want to pay for them, McCarthy said. You can’t have it both ways.

To address the ongoing crisis, Select Board member Mr. Cohen invited the public to participate in a new initiative to modernize financial planning. On March 4th at 6:00 PM in the 1820 Courtroom, we're going to be working amongst ourselves on developing and reinventing the budget oversight process, Cohen announced. Host Emily Tompkins concluded the session by thanking the officials for the transparent look at the town's vital resources and fiscal constraints.