Newton Projects $548 Million FY26 Budget as Federal Funding Uncertainty Looms

NEWTON — February 6, 2025 — Newton Mayor Fuller previews a $548 million FY26 budget with federal funding risk at the center. At a February 6 Select Board session, Fuller and Chief Financial Officer Moren Lelie and Budget Director Jonathan Yeo outlined a budget driven 83 percent by property taxes, with total city expenditures projected at roughly $548 million — or just under $600 million including enterprise funds. Direct federal exposure runs between $11 million and $12 million, including $5 million to Newton Public Schools through Title I and IDEA grants, $3.5 million in planning department community development grants, and $500,000 in annual fire department training funds. Fuller read from a Department of Transportation memorandum ordering elimination of climate, equity, and DEI references from all grant programs and noted Attorney General Pam Bondi's directive targeting sanctuary jurisdictions. Newton Public Schools received a 3.65 percent budget allocation increase for FY26, plus access to up to $4.1 million from the NPS Stabilization Fund, which Fuller warned faces a structural shortfall gap around FY29 to FY30. Health insurance costs are now projected to rise 7.5 to 8 percent next year, with a formal budget submission expected in April.