The path from Westport’s 2027 Budget to your quarterly real estate tax payment

May 26, 2026 | Community , Education , Government , Opinion | 0 The following is the sixth in a series of articles about the Town of Westport’s finances. Written by ex-Board of Finance Chairman Brian Stern, this piece looks at how the town determines how much you pay in tax. Westport Journal presents these pieces of news and analysis to help readers better understand town finance: the dynamics that create the town’s revenue, how that revenue is spent, the major drivers of town budget increases and how the town manages capital and infrastructure expenses. We plan to also put the decisions made by the Board of Finance and the Finance Department into the larger context of continuing to secure a safe and predictable long-term future for the town. WESTPORT–Town taxpayers will receive their bills in late June, and it’s a good bet that some folks will be disappointed. With the adopted $266 million budget, the annual bill for an average house will be $20,562, up from $18,835 this year. That’s an increase of $1,272, or 9%, a larger percentage than the 5.36% increase in town spending. The difference is largely due to a shift in the mix of residential versus commercial property in town. Does that mean your particular tax bill is going up? Not necessarily. This article will take a look at how we got here, and what goes into calculating your share of the obligation for fiscal year (FY) 2027, which begins July 1. In the first quarter of this year the heads of town departments, the school superintendent’s office and the selectmen’s office developed their draft operational plans, and the attendant financials for FY 2027. In the second quarter, the Board of Education, Board of Finance, The Representative Town Meeting and its subcommittees provided guidance which helped revise the spending plan into the $266 million budget that was formally approved in April. The spending represents a 5.36% increase over the current budget, FY 2026. During the same period, Westport wrapped up the townwide revaluation of all taxable property, (residential, commercial, and other assets), as required by law. Appeals were held and the individual taxable bases were confirmed. In this article we will explain how the town calculates your share of the expenses. We thank Director of Finance Gary Conrad , and Board of Finance member Jeff Hammer for their cooperation, counsel and support. The Total Budget The FY 2027 budget of $266 million will fund Town operations and the Westport School District, pension contributions, debt service and other smaller items. But that’s not all. The Town budget team added another $600,000 to cover raises and other expenses for employees whose union contracts were not finalized before the budget was approved. That brings the total to $266.6 million. Most of the money, by far, comes from property taxes. But the town does have a few ways to ease that burden. Where the money comes from 1.