BOS approves $154k of cuts to go to Board of Finance

At the July 2, 2026 Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting, Stafford got a sneak preview of the next round of budget cuts. After an executive session—which is private, but the agenda indicated it was for personnel matters—the board came back to talk about budget adjustments. 

All told, the Town will present $154,000 worth of cuts at next week’s Board of Finance (BOF) meeting. There are some other adjustments being made, though. As changes continue to roll in—such as employees electing not to take health insurance—smaller adjustments are being made to the tune of more than $18,000. (Editor's Note: The First Selectman said a slightly different number during the meeting, which you may note if you watch the video, but during discussions after the meeting, Stafford Free Press confirmed the larger figure.) Additionally, they added money back into the Community Center budget for congregate meals, which will be offset through a donation from American Sleeve Bearing.

But the Department of Public Works budget is bearing the brunt of this round of cuts. During public comment, Donna Wright said, “I don’t think that’s fair.” When she asked where the money would come from, First Selectman Bill Morrison said there were “still a lot of balls in the air” and that they were not yet able to discuss it. Stay tuned for more details at the next BOF meeting as the changes are presented to that board.

At the last BOF meeting, Superintendent of Stafford Public Schools Scott Sugarman said not having an approved budget in July “just freezes us.” He noted that the district had lost staff due to budget concerns over recent weeks and had not been able to bring back others yet. He also noted that there was a “false narrative” suggesting that the schools would try to punish people for voting no on the budget. He said, “That is not in my DNA.” Still, things are tight and changes need to be made. 

Sugarman reiterated that of the $1.3 million increase the schools originally asked for, $1.2 million was just healthcare and transportation increases: “We have already offset everything that we could in terms of salary increases and other areas.” To that point, Sugarman noted that there may be some savings as invoices and purchase orders are closed out through the summer. For instance, if the Town budgeted to have a student in a special education outplacement all year, but that student came back to the district or moved out of town, significant savings are realized. 

So, though there is not yet a firm number, Sugarman hopes to put those savings into the healthcare account, and then reallocate some of those funds to a different line item in next year’s budget. As BOF Chair Steve Geryk later said, this would result in a savings to taxpayers, without further reducing the school district’s budget. Just how much will be saved is still unclear. 

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