City Council 2027 Budget Presentation

The City of Easton’s City Council held a presentation of the proposed 2027 budget on October 2, 2026. The mayor described the budget as tightly constrained by a 47.1% increase in employee health-care costs, inflation, fuel and utility expenses, and labor increases. The proposal includes a one-mill property-tax increase and a $2 increase in sewer and trash rates; it also reflects a roughly $1.8 million reduction in the city’s mandatory pension contribution. The mayor said the budget avoids layoffs and maintains staffing, and recommended placing the $1.5 million expected from the sale of the former Easton Iron & Metal property into the reserve fund. The budget was presented for council consideration; no budget approval vote is shown in the transcript, and no public comments were made.

Capital and service priorities mentioned include ongoing park and playground improvements, repairs to the municipal pool estimated at $3–5 million, and work needed at all three fire stations. The city also plans to direct new revenue from a lease with the Easton Joint Suburban Water Authority to the general fund to help address future capital costs. The mayor discussed affordable and workforce housing and a proposed Westward community center, but the transcript records no related contract awards, vendor selections, or procurement votes.