Manchester Finance Committee Approves Fire, Parks Budgets Worth Nearly $2.7 Million

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — February 5, 2026 — Manchester-by-the-Sea Finance Committee approved fire and parks budgets totaling roughly $2.7 million and deferred a coastal survey proposal as the school assessment dropped $700,000 below prior projections. Chair Sarah Mellish told the committee that what had appeared to be a $1.1 million school assessment increase now stands at roughly $600,000, driven by the school district cutting its OPEB contribution from $880,000 to $300,000, reducing its health insurance increase to 14 percent, and receiving an additional $250,000 in state circuit-breaker reimbursement, leaving the budget with approximately $26,000 unallocated. Fire Chief McNeely secured unanimous approval of a $2,185,075 fire budget anchored by the federal SAFER grant, which requires the town to maintain 21 full-time firefighters from March 2026 through March 2029 at a 25 percent town match of roughly $61,856 for the town-funded position. McNeely projected ambulance receivables will reach $325,000 in fiscal year 2026 and up to $375,000 in fiscal year 2027 following a billing company switch that helped clean up roughly $330,000 in accumulated old receivables. The committee also approved Parks and Recreation budgets of $206,966 and $248,798 for Singing Beach and Lifeguards, and discussed a Parks revolving fund now holding approximately $600,000, with members pressing for a program-by-program cost analysis. A $15,000 coastal survey proposal for the Emergency Management budget and a $275,000 Community Preservation Committee cash request toward the town rotunda were both deferred, with a CPC deadline looming Monday, February 9.