The Board of Estimate and Taxation has formally begun Greenwich’s annual budget process, a months-long review that determines how the town and its schools will be funded for the 2026–2027 fiscal year.
Annual budget reports are required from all municipal departments and from divisions operating under the supervision and control of the Board of Education, the Board of Health, and the Board of Human Services. Those submissions are reviewed by the BET Budget Committee, which evaluates requests and prepares a Recommended Budget for consideration by the full board.
On or before April 10, the Board of Estimate and Taxation is required to set the times and locations for public budget hearings based on the Budget Committee’s estimates.
After public hearings conclude, and on or before May 5, the BET must file a detailed Proposed Budget with the Office of the Town Clerk outlining the appropriations it deems necessary for the upcoming fiscal year. The proposed appropriations are then submitted to the Representative Town Meeting to be held on or before May 15.
That process began Tuesday night with the first formal budget presentations to the BET Budget Committee.
School officials presented the Board of Education’s proposed budget for the 2026–2027 school year. The education budget is typically the largest single component of the town’s overall spending plan and is reviewed separately from the municipal budget before being combined into a total spending proposal.
The Board of Education presentation marked the first step in what is expected to be weeks of detailed examination by the Budget Committee, which will review assumptions, enrollment figures, staffing levels, and projected costs as part of its deliberations.
First Selectman Fred Camillo also presented his proposed municipal budget for fiscal year 2027. Camillo’s plan totals $543.5 million, representing an increase of approximately $27 million over the current fiscal year budget of $516.4 million.
The proposal exceeds the Board of Estimate and Taxation’s previously adopted, non-binding budget guidelines by $960,106. Those guidelines were established earlier in the budget cycle to frame expectations for spending growth.
Camillo’s budget includes a proposed mill rate of 12.765, compared with the BET guideline mill rate of 12.591. The mill rate is used to calculate local property taxes.
According to figures included in Camillo’s presentation, a homeowner with a property assessed at $1 million would see an estimated $724 increase in annual property taxes if the proposed budget were adopted as presented.
Camillo described the budget as balancing the continuation of town services with long-term planning. According to his presentation, the operating portion of the budget maintains existing municipal services for residents, while the long-range capital budget focuses on completing projects identified as important to the community. The presentation can be found online here: https://www.greenwichct.gov/DocumentCenter/View/53751/FY26-27-First-Selectman-Budget-Presentation.
The municipal budget, like the education budget, will now move into the next phase of review by the BET Budget Committee. Committee members are expected to examine individual departmental requests, capital spending priorities, and revenue assumptions before issuing a Recommended Budget.
Public input is a required part of the process. Once the BET schedules public hearings, residents will have the opportunity to comment on both the education and municipal spending plans before the board finalizes its Proposed Budget.
The Board of Estimate and Taxation’s final proposal, once filed with the Town Clerk, will be subject to approval by the Representative Town Meeting, the town’s legislative body. The RTM vote represents the final step before the budget is adopted for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Tuesday’s presentations marked the opening of that review period, setting in motion a process that will shape school operations, municipal services, and property tax levels for the coming year.
