Greenfield City Council Unanimously Passes $70 Million FY2027 Budget

GREENFIELD -- June 17, 2026, Greenfield City Council unanimously adopted a $70,018,736 general fund budget for fiscal year 2027 Wednesday but was blindsided by a disclosure that the state Department of Revenue had declined to certify the city's retained earnings, freezing more than $1.1 million in planned infrastructure capital spending. Finance Director Stephen told the council that a cash book reconciliation problem tracing to a roughly seven-to-eight-month staffing collapse in fiscal year 2025, during which a Robert Half contractor attempted to run both the Treasurer's Office and Accounting Office simultaneously, has left more than 2 million lines of transactions in dispute, with the Boston-area firm CLA expected to lead reconstruction work estimated at around $150,000 through the summer and into the fall. The council unanimously rescinded three previously approved capital orders for sewer system work totaling more than $1 million in planned spending. "I'm 85 percent certain no one's stolen," Stephen said. "It's a matter of finding it." Council President Wondoloski announced she would bring a motion next month requiring quarterly budget-to-actuals and free cash reporting to the council, saying: "I also recognize that our job as city council is oversight, and I think we have not had all the tools that we needed." The council also approved nine Community Preservation Act allocations totaling $243,330, including $60,000 for the former Wilson's building facade restoration on Main Street and $50,000 for affordable housing at 176 Main Street.