Arlington Finance Committee Endorses $25.1 Million Capital Budget for FY2027

ARLINGTON — March 11, 2026 — Arlington's Finance Committee endorsed a $25.1 million net capital appropriation for FY2027 after a presentation from the Capital Planning Committee that ran past 10 p.m. The vote passed 10-0 with two abstentions after a motion to delay failed 3-10. The budget, built to a 5 percent cap on adjusted town revenues of roughly $226 million, includes a $375,000 feasibility study for a potential HVAC electrification project at Hardy School — with $4.5 million provisionally held in FY2028 — and $90,000 in initial debt service for an Ottoson Middle School feasibility study tied to an MSBA invitation. A separate reappropriation of $435,658.91 in unspent borrowed capital was approved to fund school rooftop HVAC units. If the upcoming override fails, the committee has pre-identified cuts including a $250,000 EV charging project, half the Veterans Memorial Park capital allocation, and one Snow Fighter plow truck; out-years would face roughly 20 percent broad cuts across all departments.