Cambridge Finance Committee Sends 14 Department Budgets to Full Council with Unanimous Recommendations

CAMBRIDGE -- May 5, 2026, Cambridge Finance Committee advances 14 department budgets on first day of FY27 hearings. The committee, co-chaired by Councillors Patty Nolan and Ayah Al-Zubi, forwarded all reviewed budgets unanimously to the full City Council during a May 5 day-long session, the first of three scheduled budget hearing days. The FY27 recommended budget represents a 4.1 percent overall increase, the lowest annual growth rate in at least a decade, after city departments were directed to find 2.1 percent in operating savings, compared to five- and 10-year average increases of 6.7 percent and 6.1 percent respectively. Among the major items forwarded: the Housing Department's $36 million budget including $24.1 million for the Affordable Housing Trust and $1 million in new city-funded housing vouchers; the Human Services Department's $58,376,533 budget covering afterschool, workforce development, and early childhood programs; and the Law Department's $3,876,551 budget, which drew praise from Councillor Dennis Flaherty for handling 2,255 public records requests in less than nine months on outside counsel spending of just $312,000.