Southwick Finance Committee Approves $2,300 Transfer, Warns of Budget Gap Ahead of Town Meeting

SOUTHWICK — March 31, 2026 — Southwick's Finance Committee approved a $2,300 reserve fund transfer and conducted a marathon line-by-line review of fiscal year 2027 departmental budgets at its March 31 meeting, warning that new revenue will fall well short of the town's needs. Chair Joe Deedy told members that new growth and the Proposition 2½ levy increase together generate roughly $670,000, while the regional school assessment is estimated at just under $1 million — a gap of roughly $300,000 before any municipal department costs are counted. The committee is weighing how to deploy approximately $4.3 million in certified free cash, with Deedy proposing roughly $1 million each toward the tax rate, road repairs, and capital purchases, and $900,000 held in reserve. Deedy pushed back on a 10 percent across-the-board cut that had been communicated to department heads without committee input, saying "I can promise you I'm not going to support a budget I don't like it — because the pile is going to be this big next time." The committee has roughly 30 days before budget materials must go to the printer ahead of the annual town meeting expected the week of May 18.