Whitman Finance Committee Flags $400,000 FY27 Gap in Line-by-Line Budget Review

WHITMAN -- March 24, 2026, Whitman's Finance Committee opened a line-by-line FY27 budget review Tuesday, aiming to close an estimated $400,000 structural deficit before a planned April 7 joint session with the Board of Selectmen. Committee Chair Kevin Lassen said two options in circulation, reductions to police and fire, or closure of the public library, have not yet been formally reviewed by the committee. Members flagged the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District assessment as a major variable: the district submitted an assessment of $20,913,477, roughly $320,000 above the $20,592,926 carried in the town administrator's working budget, raising questions about whether the stated $400,000 deficit accounts for that gap. The committee reached informal consensus to recommend freezing the town clerk's salary at $84,070, citing reduced public-facing office hours, and discussed but declined to recommend funding a $80,000 cybersecurity specialist position requested by the technology department. A school committee member who identified herself as Rosemary urged the Finance Committee not to reject only the busing portion of the school assessment, warning that doing so "could put at risk the entire school budget." Town Meeting is set for May 4.