Wayland FinCom digs into $113.3 million FY27 budget, 5 percent tax increase

WAYLAND — February 9, 2026 — Wayland Finance Committee reviews $113.3 million FY27 budget with 5.39 percent tax hike. Town Manager Michael McCall and Finance Director Brian Keveny told the committee Monday they closed a projected $1.8 million deficit through level-service budgeting, reclassifying DPW debt and issuing bond anticipation notes that saved roughly $800,000. The plan leaves an estimated $755,000 in unused levy capacity. Unclassified costs jump 12.39 percent, driven by a $1.87 million salary reserve held pending unsettled labor contracts, $1.25 million more for Chapter 32B health insurance and $444,000 in additional Middlesex Retirement assessments. Superintendent David Fleishman said the schools have 44 students placed out of district — at average tuitions near $128,000 plus roughly $60,000 each for transportation — and warned that further cuts would force larger class sizes. "Overall, Wayland runs fairly lean," McCall said. "The next thing we would need to do is to cut services."