Saugus Finance Committee Reviews $383,000 Police Budget Increase in FY27 Hearings

Finance Committee · Meeting of March 25, 2026

Saugus Finance Committee kicks off FY27 budget hearings with public safety review. The committee, chaired by Kenneth DePatto, heard presentations from the Fire and Police departments at its March 25 meeting. Police Chief Blanchard requested a $383,000 overall increase, describing it as a 3.5 percent rise driven largely by a $291,000 jump in full-time contractual salaries, and pushed back against social media claims of an 11 percent increase.

Fire Chief Al Rikardelli reported 5,533 emergency calls last year and sought targeted increases totaling roughly $85,000 on the expense side, including raising the training budget from $75,000 to $100,000. Rikardelli also confirmed the department's new pumper truck will be ready for inspection in early June and that a $1 million grant is funding a long-overdue upgrade to the town's 30-year-old 911 communications system.

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Source: the Finance Committee meeting of March 25, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.