Melrose Officials Outline FY2027 Budget Timeline, Override Impact

MELROSE — March 27, 2026 — Melrose Mayor Jen Grigoraitis, City Council President Brad Freeman, and School Committee Chair Seamus Kelly outlined the city's FY2027 budget calendar in a March 27 "Melrose Minute" segment. The School Committee budget was set to be released the following week, with the panel aiming to approve it before April vacation; the full municipal budget is due to the 11-member City Council by the charter-mandated May 15 deadline. Kelly said the voter-approved Proposition 2½ override from last year means the school system will not cut staff for the first time in three consecutive years — "a great thing," in his words. Freeman said the council would hold roughly six weeks of Monday and Thursday evening hearings with department heads after the budget arrives, and reminded residents that the council's authority is limited to approving, reducing, or rejecting line items — not increasing or shifting funds.