WILMINGTON, MA — Town Manager Eric Slagle recently announced a significant change to the way the Wilmington Finance Committee will review each town department’s Fiscal Year 2027 proposed budget.
The Finance Committee has traditionally held up to 10 public meetings during budget season. (Last year’s total was nine.) Each meeting, typically held on Tuesday nights and Thursday nights, would see the Finance Committee review 2-3 different departmental budgets over the course of 1-2 hours.
This year, however, the Finance Committee has streamlined and consolidated its public meeting schedule during the budget process. The Committee will meet just four times:
— Thursday, January 29, 2026, 7pm: Town Manager Presentation of Budget to Finance Committee, including Town Manager’s Office and Financial Departments (Accountant, Treasurer, Assessor)
— Saturday, January 31, 2026, 9am: Review of Veterans Services, Board of Health, Library, Historical Commission, Elderly Services; 10am: Review of Dept. of Public Works, Dept. of Public Buildings
— Saturday, February 7, 2026, 9am: Review of Recreation, Planning and Conservation, Building Inspector/ZBA, Town Clerk, IT; 10am: Review of Police Dept., Public Safety Dispatch, Fire Dept.
— Thursday, February 26, 2026, 7pm: Review of Wilmington Public Schools, Shawsheen Vocational Technical High School
These meetings will be held at the new Town Hall and are open to the public.
Slagle highlighted three additional dates in the budget process:
— The Town Manager will present a high level overview of the FY27 budget at the Select Board meeting on Monday, January 26, 2026 at 7pm.
— The Finance Committee and Planning Board will hold its Annual Joint Public Hearing on the Town Meeting warrant articles on Tuesday, March 5, 2026 at 7pm. Residents will have an opportunity to ask questions and make comments on the proposed FY27 budget and all other financial and zoning warrant articles. The Finance Committee will make their recommendations on each warrant article at a meeting on Thursday, March 7, 2026 at 7pm.
— The proposed FY27 budget will be voted on by residents during the Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, May 2, 2026, beginning at 9am, in the High School Auditorium.
The four Finance Committee Meetings, the Town Manager’s Budget Presentation, the Finance Committee and Planning Board’s Joint Public Hearing, and the Annual Town Meeting will all be televised by Wilmington Community Television. If you can’t attend or watch live, on-demand viewing is available on www.wctv.org and www.youtube.com/@WCTVWilmington.
Like Wilmington Apple on Facebook. Follow Wilmington Apple on Twitter. Follow Wilmington Apple on Instagram. Subscribe to Wilmington Apple’s daily email newsletter HERE. Got a comment, question, photo, press release, or news tip? Email wilmingtonapple@gmail.com.
Wilmington Apple 