The City Council discusses and approves the mayor’s FY26 budget during its meeting on June 26.
Photo credit: ChicopeeTV
CHICOPEE — After hosting three separate budget hearing sessions with each department in the city, the City Council approved the mayor’s fiscal year 2026 budget on June 26 for $276.2 million, an increase of 6.4% from FY25.
The City Council met with each department on June 23, 24 and 26, after Mayor John Vieau submitted his recommended budget for approval on June 2.
The school budget was approved for $131.6 million, a 2.2% increase from FY25. Chapter 70 funding is set to increase by approximately $6.5 million from FY25 to a total of $100 million, and city contribution is also set to increase by $1.3 million, for a total of $36.4 million, which represents a total contribution of $136 million.
Mayor John Vieau talked about the construction of the school budget and said, “I commend our school Superintendent Dr. Marcus Ware for his difficult task of being creative about how to still deliver top tier education to our students, while also dealing with the reality that ESSER funds are gone. Dr. Ware, myself and our mutual finance teams also recognize that the current federal administration has taken and may continue to take away funding that we have relied on in the past.”
The largest budget driver in the FY26 budget comes from the Human Resources budget with an increase of approximately $3.4 million, primarily due to rising health insurance costs.
Other significant increases in the general fund were driven by the Police Department budget with an increase of $3.3 million, largely due to technology and collective bargaining, according to Vieau.
Vieau talked about the budget drivers which he said shows his dedication to certain areas within the city.
He said, “This budget not only reflects our prioritization of public safety and education, but also our commitment to the city’s financial future. Chicopee and many other municipalities are coming off the cliff of having budgets boosted by COVID-19 related ARPA and ESSER funds. We cannot sustain the level of spending we saw in the post [COVID-19] years, and this budget is the first step in reconfiguring our spending.”
The FY26 water and sewer budgets, which are self-supporting departments funded by their own user fees, reflect an increase of $530,887 and an increase of $530,656, respectively.
Vieau also had a message to the taxpayers about the construction of this year’s budget.
He stated, “We can’t simply raise taxes to solve every problem, like some other communities might be able to. Chicopee is not a wealthy city. We’re a hardworking community that has to make every dollar count. That’s why I’m proud that with these city and school budgets, we have taken meaningful steps and have produced a responsible budget to protect the taxpayers while supporting essential services. For Chicopee to continue to grow and thrive, we must focus on long-term sustainability-and this decision is grounded in that principle. We need to make choices that benefit our community not just today, but well into the future.”
