Um at this time as we we sit here um somebody had mentioned the problem. I'm not aware that we've missed or lost any children. I mean, could we always maybe do small things better and paperwork, etc. Always. We we'll be sending out this week. Um they're being prepared today, but they will go out the next day flyers for um kindergarten registration because we received the census. We we worked with city hall and the department down there and sent us from the clerk's office all students who are eligible for kindergarten next year. So, while we know that, for example, I have three children, right? Your first one when your first when you it's time for your second and third to go, you kind of know the routine and and you get it going. But if it's your first, you may not be aware of some of those things.
They're in the school. They're reading the newsletters. Um we thought we found that we needed to reach out to our new families who are out there. So, we're sending a mailing out to every eligible 4-year-old and their families. Superintendent When we hire a superintendent, we trust that they are going to know how to do this aspect of the work. That's what they do. When we have a budget cut of 1.89 million, we trust that superintendent to cut what they need to cut with the knowledge that they can take that work and give it to somebody else who has the training and the capacity. So, we trusted Superintendent Patenaude to cut the registrar position and anything else she needed to in order to preserve the educational functionality of the schools under a budget cut that we had last year. So, we trusted her to move that work along to who she knew would handle it and I trust that Superintendent Joel is not losing records or misreporting things to the state because that's his job and we hired him to do that job and I fear that by having these discussions, we are descending into micromanagement of the day-to-day operations, which is not our purview.
So, while we're sending things home to our current students, families, right? Emails, newsletters, etc., that's kind of a given, right? They're in the school, they're reading the newsletters. We thought we found that we needed to reach out to our new families who are out there. So, we're sending a mailing out to every eligible four-year-old in their families. >> Remember Den, >> when we hire a superintendent, we trust that they are going to know how to do this aspect of the work. That's what they do. When we have a budget cut of 1.89 89 million. We trust that superintendent to cut what they need to cut with the knowledge that they can take that work and give it to somebody else who has the training and the capacity. So we trusted superintendent Patnau to cut the registar position and anything else she needed to in order to preserve the educational functionality of the schools under a budget cut that we had last year.
Our job is a school committee. We are the macro view and we need to remember that. We are looking at the overall vision of the district and oversight of that. That's what we're doing. We're We should not be micromanaging who's sending records to who and who's minding that. That's your job and I trust that you do a very good job, or else we would not have hired you to do it. So, I can't support hiring a registrar because I think we're about to hear about some budget woes. Um unless you come to us and say, "Gosh, I'm having a hard time. I am struggling getting this these records to the state and we need some help." Then, gosh, we would empower you to do whatever you needed to do and trust that you would hire the right person to do it. Thank you. All right.
So, we trusted her to move that work along to who she knew would handle it. And I trust that Superintendent Joyel is not losing records or misreporting things to the state because that's his job and we hired him to do that job. And I fear that by having these discussions, we are descending into micromanagement of the dayto-day operations, which is not our purview or our job as a school committee. We are the macro view. We need to remember that. We are looking at the overall vision of the district and oversight of that. That's what we're doing. We we should not be micromanaging who's sending records to who and who's minding that. That's your job and I trust that that you do a very good job or else we would not have hired you to do it. So, I can't support hiring a registar because I think we're about to hear about some budget woes.
Any further discussion? Hearing and seeing none, um I call for the vote. Sure. Member Goodwin. Can you remind me of the motion, please? Motion that the school committee direct the superintendent to post for a district registrar. Yes. Chair Sexton. No. Member Webb, I'm also a no. Vice Chair Childs. No. Member Geneve. No. Mayor Desorgher. No. Member Deatman. No. It does not pass. Okay. With I'm going to say one yes and six no's. Right. Thank you. Um now on the agenda we have a special report from Mayor Desorgher um as a request um about the city fiscal year 2027 budget. And for those following along at home, the document you want to be looking at is called copy of 2026 0224 ways and means presentation. Um the title of that document on the document is tax rate recapitalization sheet. Um and I will be sharing my screen so that folks online can be looking at it as well.
Um, unless you come to us and say, "Gosh, I'm having a hard time. I am struggling getting this these records to the state and we need some help." Then gosh, we would empower you to do whatever you needed to do and trust that you would hire the right person to do it. >> Thank you. >> All right. Any further discussion? Hearing and seeing none, um I call for the vote. >> Sure. Member Goodwin. >> Can you remind me of the motion, please? >> Motion that the school committee direct the superintendent to post for a district registar. >> Yes. >> Chair ston. >> No. >> Member Webb, I'm also a no. Vice Chair Childs, >> no. >> Member Geneive, >> no. >> Mayor Disorger, >> no. >> Member Dyman, >> no. >> It does not pass. >> Okay. >> With I'm going to say one yes and six nos.
Um and members should have access to it in your folder. Thank you. Correct. It's as far as I'm aware just these tables. Um and I will turn it over to Mayor Desorgher um with the just a a humble ask that you keep it you know, five to five to 10 minutes at most. Five minutes, I promise. Thank you. I shared this with um the superintendent as well as ways and means and the superintendent thought it might be good for you to have this information as well. So, as you can see from the first page, our total operating budget was 67 million 925,100 last year. Um and uh uh there were additional amounts to be raised. I'm just going to go through quickly that brought it to a total of 75 million and change. Estimated revenues, a lot of that comes from the cherry sheets. Um and um that total last year was 28,629 29,000 change.
>> Great. Thank you. Um now on the agenda we have a special report from Mayor Disorger um as a request um about the city fiscal year 2027 budget. And for those following along at home, the document you want to be looking at is called copy of 2026 0224 ways and means presentation. Um the title of that document on the document is tax rate recapitalizations sheet. Um, and I will be sharing my screen so that folks online can be looking at it as well. Um, and members should have access to it in your folder. >> Thank you. >> Correct. It's as far as I'm aware just these tables. Um, and I will turn it over to Mayor Disorger um with just a a humble ask that you keep it, you know, five to five to 10 minutes at most. >> Five minutes, I promise. Thank you.
We um the city put in things to make the budget balance, OPEB stabilization, which there's no longer any money in OPEB stabilization. I'm sure we will add money this year from pension stabilization. That fund has, I think, $385,000 in it. I feel confident we'll be adding that to stabilize the budget as best as we can. And I, at this point, I don't think we're going to have any free cash to add. Um I just want to go on to the next page to show you um under the levy limit calculation where we are with uh 2 and 1/2. Um our levy allowed last year was 43,725,546,000. By law, we can only go up 2 and 1/2% to the to the budget. And in addition to that, you can add in any new growth that the city has. New growth are things like new buildings like Aldi's coming to the city.
I shared this with um the superintendent as well as ways and means and the superintendent thought it might be good for you to have this information as well. So, as you can see from the first page, our total operating budget was 67,925,100 last year. Um, and uh uh there were additional amounts to be raised. I'm just going to go through quickly. That brought it to a total of 75 million and change. Estimated revenues, a lot of that comes from the cherry sheets. Um and um that total last year was 28,629 29,000 and change. We um the city put in things to make the budget balance. OPE stabilization, which there's no longer any money in OPE stabilization. I'm sure we will add money this year from pension stabilization. That fund has, I think, $385,000 in it. I feel confident we'll be adding that to stabilize the budget as best as we can.
So, every year, our new growth has has been an average of 425 to 450,000. So, you can see that that we can go up about a million and a half plus what additional funds we can add to the budget. Going on to the next page, which is what I really wanted to to speak with you about, were the charges that we if you go on to page one, um look at the contributory retirement. Um this goes up a half million dollars every year. Um the city contributes to everyone's retirement, and that's on an actuarial scale. Every year it increases by a half a million. That's something that we can't do anything about. And the next page, um you can disregard the workers' compensation. I just want any unemployment insurance. But please look at the health insurance and see what's happened with that. Um since I've been in office, um we've gone up over three million dollars in health insurance, and we've met with the health insurers and I'm meeting with them again next week.
And I at this point I don't think we're going to have any free cash to add. Um I just want to go on to the next page to show you um under the levy limit calculation where we are with uh two and a half. Um, our levy allowed last year was 43,725,546,000. By law, we can only go up 2.5% to the to the budget. And in addition to that, you can add in any new growth that the city has. New growth are things like new buildings like Aldi's coming to the city. So every year our new growth has has been an average of 425 to 450,000. So you can see that that we can go up about a million and a half plus what additional funds we can add to the budget. Going on to the next page, which is what I really wanted to to speak with you about were the charges that we, if you go on to page one, um, look at the contributo retirement, um, this goes up a half million dollars every year.
It's projected that our health insurance will go up another 19.4% which will be two million dollars. Um I'm struggling with that because to balance a budget with the retirement going up a half million dollars and the health insurance going up uh two million dollars, it will be very difficult to balance this year's budget. Um as you can see by the last two pages, the pages that are in color, um this talks about the the the cherry sheets estimations of what we will be receiving this year. Although it is estimated that our cherry sheets receipts will be up um by 300,000. You can see last year our total estimated receipts were 22 million 7,031. And it's estimated this year that our cherry sheet receipts will be 22 million 386,000 dollars. Uh that's an increase of 300,000 dollars. But if you go down to the assessments and charges you can see that our assessments and charges uh cancel out and are higher far higher than last year.
Um, the city contributes to everyone's retirement and that's on an actuarial scale. Every year it increases by a half a million. That's something that we can't do anything about. And the next page, um, you can disregard the workers compensation. I just want the unemployment insurance, but please look at the health insurance and see what's happened with that. Um, since I've been in office, um, we've gone up over $3 million in health insurance. And we've met with the health insurers at our meeting with them again next week. It's projected that our health insurance will go up another 19.4%. Which will be $2 million. Um, I'm struggling with that. Because to balance a budget with the retirement going up a half million dollars and the health insurance going up uh $2 million, it will be very difficult to balance this year's budget. Um, as you can see by the last two pages, the pages that are in color, um, this talks about the the the cherry sheets estimations of what we will be receiving this year.
Last year our total estimated charges were 5 million 369 thousand 155 dollars and this year they will increase to 6 million and 40,806. It's a negative loss to the city of over 300,000 dollars. That in addition to the health insurance increases make it ex- extraordinarily difficult to balance this year's budget. I've already been in touch with some department heads about cuts in budgets to personnel that we'll have to be making. So I'm just sharing that because we are going in to the budget meeting next month I mean next week. We're all in this together and the the budget does need to balance. And um I struggle with it and I'm hoping that we'll all work together to get to the finish line.
Although it is estimated that our cherry sheets receipts will be up um by 300,000. You can see last year our total estimated receipts were 22 million7,031 and it's estimated this year that our cherry sheet receipts will be 22,386,000. Um that's an increase of $300,000. But if you go down to the assessments and charges, you can see that our assessments and charges are cancel out and are higher far higher than last year. Last year our total estimated charges were $5,369,155 and this year they will increase to 6 million and 40,86. It's a negative loss to the city of over $300,000 that in addition to the health insurance increases make it ex extraordinarily difficult to bal this year's budget. I've already been in touch with some department heads about cuts in budgets to personnel that we'll have to be making. So, I'm just sharing that because we are going in to the budget meeting next month.
If you have any questions for me, I'm happy to answer them. I know it's been a long night. Thank you, Mayor. All right, I see it. Remember Goodwin and remember Denief. So now that we're all depressed, but um I think I don't know about you guys, but the world is a mess. And I think I just want a number. What is the number you need from us? I just want to know how much we're looking to cut from what's in front of us because the reality is that that has to happen. But I guess I need I'm looking at all these numbers and I sort of want to know you know, are we cutting a million? Are we cutting um how much we need? Um for to help with the process. Um I I I just want to know that number, I guess. And I don't know if you know that number.
I mean next week. We're all in this together and the the budget does need to balance and um I struggle with it and I'm hoping that we'll all work together to get to the finish line.
I don't think I I can honestly say today I don't think I know it that number is. But you know I will pitch in from the city side whatever we can to put into the pot because just like all of you, I want class sizes to be appropriate. I want our children to get the best education that we have, but I highly want to look at the budget this year because it's such an enigma. I meant last uh week we talked with um Sean Cronin, the head of the Department of Revenue, and Joe Comfort because it is such a the this health insurance thing is what is putting people just many municipalities over the edge. And I'm already talking to department heads and not anybody's favorite today. But um you know, a $1.7 million increase in addition to that health insurance is it's not sustainable.