North Andover Select Board Approves Seven Utility Permits, Cuts $800,000 From FY27 Budget

NORTH ANDOVER -- February 9, 2026, North Andover Select Board approves seven utility permits and presents a reduced FY27 budget projecting $800,000 in cuts. Town Manager Melissa Murphy Rodriguez and Finance Director Dennis Culhane told the board Monday that health insurance costs have climbed from $9.9 million in fiscal year 2020 to $16.2 million projected for fiscal year 2027, with a roughly 10 percent GIC premium increase expected. The budget reflects a 4.5 percent overall spending increase funded by a 5.38 percent tax levy increase, with the town carrying $3.7 million in levy capacity committed to Kittredge School and Fire Station 3 debt. Rodriguez said she has been warning that a fiscal year 2028 operating override is likely, noting "if fixed costs are increasing by 10 percent and Proposition 2 and a half allows us to increase by 2.5, the math is not mathing." Teachers Association president Julie Darman and teaching assistants co-chair Debbie Raffali urged the board to sign a resolution opposing GIC plan design changes, which Rodriguez said would save the town approximately $300,000 but shift higher out-of-pocket costs onto employees; she plans to vote no at the February 12 GIC commission meeting. The board also unanimously approved a common victualler license for Rami Katava's Grill 166 at 166 Sutton Street and accepted a $920 donation for the town's sheep shearing festival event.