At the FY27 Budget Information Session held on April 17, the Town reported that the tax levy had increased by 18.78 percent, or $606,344. By accessing different sources of Town funds, the increase was reduced to 6.79 percent.

The Town plans to use $200,000 from Free Cash and borrow $100,000 from the Stabilization Fund. Of the Free Cash being used, $100,000 comes from an Overlay Surplus provided by the Board of Assessors. An additional reduction of $98,000 in vocational expenses further reduced the levy.

The funds borrowed from the Stabilization Fund are expected to be repaid as revenue is received by the Fire Department. However, due to the recent acquisition and investment in Fire Station #2, the Town's Free Cash reserves could not support a larger contribution to further offset the levy. For FY26, Free Cash was certified at $1,289,838, leaving a remaining usable balance of $68,884 after these allocations.

Between FY26 and FY27, total operating costs for the town rose by 9.81%, or $373,350. Fire/EMS expenses increased by $262,844, while the school budget rose by $133,747. Fire/EMS salary costs alone grew by $220,000, including $190,000 approved at the November 2025 Special Town Meeting and an additional $30,000 added afterward. Retirement expenses remained unchanged, and employee benefits decreased by $50,561.

Several compensation adjustments were also made within the Fire Department. The Deputy Fire Chief stipend, previously unpaid, has been set at $15,000. The Fire Chief stipend, originally $15,000 at the May 2025 Annual Town Meeting, was increased to $52,000 at the November 2025 Special Town Meeting, and will now rise further to a salary of $75,000.

To improve transparency, fuel budgets for Fire/EMS, Police, and the Department of Public Works will be separated into individual accounts.

Additionally, a proposal will be introduced to establish a new Fire/EMS Stabilization Fund. This would replace the previous Ambulance Stabilization Fund, which was limited to ambulance purchases, and instead allow funds to be used more broadly for related expenses such as capital costs, medical services, equipment, and turnout gear.

Finally, the prior Fire Department administration had accumulated approximately $345,000 in uncollected funds. These largely stem from the gap between billed ambulance service fees and reimbursements from Medicare or Medicaid. For example, if a service is billed at $1,800 but Medicare reimburses $500, the remaining $1,300 cannot be collected under current rules. Fire Chief Mike Grillo is working to implement a Balance Billing program to recover some of these funds, though no money has been collected so far.

In recent years, careful budgeting has allowed Sandisfield to build an Excess Levy Capacity of $690,778 for FY2026. As a result, despite a 6.79% increase in the town's levy, the town will not need to seek a Proposition 2-1/2 override vote.

These figures are preliminary and subject to change. The final figures will be posted on the FY27 Town Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting on May 16.