City Council Approves $312.2 Million Fiscal Year 2027 Budget

John Hanlon takes oath as Councillor-at-Large

By Neil Zolot

The City Council approved the Fiscal Year 2027 operating budget of $312,195,648 at their meeting Monday, June 8. They also approved the Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund of $24,025,694 and $564,7737 for ECTV. Approximately 47% of the budget is for the School Department, totaling $145-146 million.

The $312,195,648 is $105,000 lower than the $312,300,648 budget proposal submitted by Mayor Robert Van Campen in May. The reduction came from eliminating funding for an unfilled position of Assistant Director of Youth Development and Enrichment. It was more of a bookkeeping adjustment than a cut because the money may not have been spent anyway.

Councillor-at-Large Guerline Alcy Jabouin cast the lone vote against passage. “I believe, with what’s going on, we should be cutting more,” she said. “I would like to see some cuts, but I’ll leave it up to my colleagues to see if there’s anything they want to revisit.”

None did.

In other items, the City Council appointed Kristin Foote as Director of Elections for a three-year term from June 8 of this year to June 8, 2029. Her desk is in the City Clerk’s office.

She is the former City Clerk in Melrose. “I’m thrilled and we’re going to make sure all the residents have a frictionless experience,” she reacted. “We want everyone to have all the information they need. If residents have any questions they can email el*******@***********ma.us.

Former School Committee member Thomas Abruzzese was appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a five-year term from June 8 of this year to June 8, 2031.

A proposal by Councillor-at-Large Katy Rogers to promote environmental sustainability by reducing single-use plastic service ware and single-use packaged condiments was sent to the Subcommittee on Legislative Affairs and Elections for study. She said the idea is for takeout restaurant owners to not give plastic forks, knives and spoons to customers automatically and give them out on request only. “It will reduce use of plastic and save businesses money because their supply will last longer,” she said. “Many customers are taking their food home and not using the plasticware anyway. As a result, it will also reduce trash.”

The meeting was also the first with John Hanlon as a Councillor-at-Large following the resignation of Wayne Matewsky. He finished 6th in the 2025 election, out of the running for a seat.

He received over 20% of the vote, however, and based on local regulations, was offered the seat and accepted it when Matewsky resigned. His term will be the remainder of Matewsky’s term expiring in 2027. “I’m glad to be back,” he said. “It’s like old times.”

City Clerk Sergio Cornelio told Hanlon, “You know how this works” as he was sworn in.

In other news, Michael Mangan is no longer the legislative aide to the City Council and is now Assistant City Clerk. He applied for the job after the resignation of Peter Napolitano from the position.

Mangan is a former School Committee member, while Napolitano was a City Councillor at one time and lost the election to be Ward 1 Councillor last year to Michele Capone. In the circular world of Everett politics, her husband Fred was also a Councillor.

Councillor-at-Large and City Council President Stephanie Smith reported a job description is being written with the help of the Human Resources Department and will be posted fairly soon. She hopes someone will be hired by the end of the summer. In the meantime, Legislative Research and Systems Analyst David Flood is filling Mangan’s role.

At the end of the meeting, Smith asked for a moment of silence to note the recent passing of Flood’s brother Paul, who was living in Medford, but grew up in Everett and worked as a mechanic. He was 67.