Westport Finance Committee Opens FY27 Budget Season With Four Department Reviews

Finance Committee · Meeting of January 6, 2026

Westport's Finance Committee kicked off its FY27 budget season Tuesday, hearing four department presentations and welcoming new Town Administrator Chris Vitale in his second week on the job. Veterans Services Officer Carol Freitas sought $416,000 — up just 0.55 percent — noting that enrollment of veterans in the Medicare Savings Program is saving the town roughly $64,000 annually. Library Director Bonnie requested approximately $363,000 from the town, noting it covers only about 30 percent of total library costs, with the rest drawn from grants and the Friends of the Library.

Council on Aging Director Beverly, who announced she will retire August 31 after 11 years, requested roughly $270,000, with the drivers line item nearly doubling to $60,000 after the loss of key transportation grants amid what she called sharply heightened competition — over $2 million in requests for a $600,000 state grant pool. IT Director Keith flagged that his $34,000 budget increase may need revision after discovering a roughly $10,000 post-submission jump in cloud services costs, and was directed to discuss the gap with Vitale.

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Source: the Finance Committee meeting of January 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.