City Council Ad Hoc Budget Committee of the Whole Meeting
Budget Hearing #4: FY27 proposed budgets were presented and discussed for Amesbury Public Schools and the City’s public safety departments (Police, Harbormaster, Fire). Councilors engaged in detailed Q&A about staffing, special education funding, legal and contract costs, vehicle and equipment maintenance, and emergency medical billing.
The Ad Hoc Budget Committee of the Whole held Budget Hearing #4 on May 27, 2026. The meeting featured presentations of the proposed FY27 budgets for Amesbury Public Schools, the Police Department (including Harbormaster), and the Fire Department. Each department presented its budget rationale and line-item concerns, followed by extensive Councilor questions and discussion. The meeting concluded with a unanimous motion to adjourn at 9:25 PM.
During the schools presentation Superintendent Elizabeth McAndrews addressed staffing and program funding, describing what a fully funded district would include and noting a reserve for contract negotiation results that, if insufficient, could lead to staff losses. Councilors asked about anti-bullying resources, rising legal fees, the status of School Choice and Circuit Breaker accounts, competitive grants, efforts to boost Innovation High School enrollment, aging fire panel systems, shared staffing possibilities, and reductions in co-curricular offerings due to low student interest; McAndrews emphasized that IEP determinations are team-based and not financial decisions. The Police presentation by Chief Craig Bailey covered increases in consulting (including a partnership with Pettengill House and investigative forecasting), vehicle repairs and maintenance, communication costs (cell service, a lake camera, and investigation software), and a reluctance to implement AI in report-writing; gas costs were noted as part of vehicle supplies. The Harbormaster budget was presented alongside Police budget items. Fire Chief Robert Serino discussed ambulance mutual aid obligations under state law, a reduced training line due to one paramedic student instead of two, ambulance billing set by city ordinance with Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement, increased preventative maintenance funding, and ongoing challenges launching an intern program. No final votes on the presented budgets or other substantive items were recorded in the minutes beyond the adjournment motion.
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