Plymouth Finance Subcommittee Approves All Ten DPW Budgets for FY2027

PLYMOUTH — January 20, 2026 — Plymouth's Advisory and Finance Budget Sub-Committee D cleared all ten Department of Public Works division budgets for fiscal year 2027 by unanimous 3-0 votes at a January 20 session chaired by Emily Tompkins. DPW Director William Coyle presented most of the budgets, flagging that the Crematory budget carries the steepest increase at 19.2 percent due to filling a previously vacant administrative assistant position, while the Fleet Maintenance budget drops 11.5 percent after a vehicle fuel line was cut 22.5 percent to better reflect actual spending patterns. Highway Division vacancies fell from eight to four, with Coyle noting overtime costs still ran roughly $180,000 over budget in fiscal year 2025. Facilities Maintenance eliminated two vacant positions even as its overall budget rose 3.9 percent, driven by higher utility costs and a Police Headquarters heat budget increase from $30,980 to $50,000. Town Meeting Member Kevin Lynch urged the committee to produce a one-page executive summary of department budgets to help residents understand where their tax dollars go, pointing to what he called an approaching fiscal cliff and talk of a Proposition 2-and-a-half override.