Holyoke City Council approves FY2027 budget 10-2 with only $30,000 in cuts

HOLYOKE -- June 23, 2026, Holyoke City Council approves roughly $200 million FY2027 budget after rejecting almost every proposed cut. The council voted 10-2 Tuesday night to pass the spending plan as amended, with Councilors David Sullivan and Bacon casting the dissenting votes. After more than three hours of department-by-department review, only two reductions survived: a $10,000 cut to the Chief Administrative and Financial Officer expenses line and a $20,000 cut to forestry personal services, for a combined total of $30,000. Among the failed motions were a $130,000 elimination of a director of technical assistance salary that two finalists had already declined, a $216,975 cut to forestry personal services that would have effectively dissolved the in-house tree crew, and a $50,000 reduction to police data subscriptions that the police chief called "devastating" and a direct threat to public safety. Council President Tessa Murphy-Romboletti rejected an opening bid by Councilor Howard Graney to cut the entire budget 2 percent across the board, estimated at roughly $4 million, on grounds that a blanket cut without legal review risked violating collective bargaining agreements.