Mayor Ruthanne Fuller presented her Fiscal Year 2025 budget proposal to the Newton City Council Tuesday night, calling the plan “sustainable, strong, and hefty” as she held up a 538-page binder at the podium.

Fuller is requesting a total of $525.4 million for next fiscal year, which is a 5.1 percent—$25.7 million increase over FY2024.

“The investments of this budget are a clear expression of our values in Newton,” Fuller said.

Here are some highlights of the budget proposal.

Schools

Fuller’s FY2025 budget gives $282.6 million, which 5.2 percent ($14 million) increase over FY2024.

That comes just shy of the $286.3 million Superintendent Anna Nolin requested for the schools, but it falls within a range to allow Nolin to carry out many of her plans for the schools next year.

The school budget increase uses money from a recently established NPS Stabilization Fund, which was used to help settle the recent teachers’ contract dispute.

“With the support of this City Council, we transformed $22 million of one-time funds into ongoing support to bolster operations for the Newton Public Schools over the next five years,” Fuller said.

$4.1 million of that is included in the FY2025 budget proposal.

Newton’s schools will add dozens of new teachers and staff members this fall to add curriculum, help shrink class sizes and address student mental health services.

Fuller mentioned the teacher strike in Andover, which was settled in two days but resulted in that town laying off school staff to pay for its new contract.

“While we read last week of the pink slips going out to school personnel in Andover, in the wake of a new contract there, I’m proud that in contrast, Newton is hiring staff,” Fuller said.

Housing and infrastructure

The budget plan uses Affordable Housing Trust money and block grant funds for the West Newton Armory, which has been renovated into affordable apartments, and Family Aid, which helps homeless Greater Boston families find housing.

And some money goes toward the former Walker Center property, which the city owns and which the City Council is working on turning into permanent affordable housing.

The budget plan increases investments in road and repairs and curb installations as well as ways to calm traffic and efforts to mitigate flooding and stormwater.

Debt and capital improvements

Fuller’s FY2025 budget increases debt service by 5.1 percent, too, to pay for several capital improvement projects, which include three rebuilt elementary schools, a renovated Horace Mann School and the new Cooper Center for Active Living and the major improvements to Gath Pool and Albemarle Field.

The budget also accounts for a new state-of-the-art dispatch, training facility and parking lot at Newton Police Headquarters and a new fire truck coming to the Fire Department.

A pilot roadwork program on Washington Street is underway to ease traffic issues there. And Pettee Square in Upper Falls will be remodeled, “to make this village square safer and even more attractive for the restaurants, shops and small businesses,” Fuller added.

Moody’s recently announced that Newton would maintain its AAA bond rating this year, making the borrowing of money less costly for Newton than if the city had a lower bond rating.

Newton’s property taxes make up 83 percent of the city’s revenue base. And with Proposition 2 ½ limiting the citywide tax levy at a 2.5 percent increase each year, but that doesn’t include new growth. And with new growth, Fuller predicts the city will be able to raise its budget by more than 3 percent a year going forward.

“I am confident about our FY2025 budget and Newton’s financial future. At the same time, when I look ahead to the next year and the following five years, I’m keeping a close eye on a number of challenges,” Fuller said.

Those challenges include inflation, staffing shortages and the end of big one-time funds like those in the American Rescue Plan Act (federal COVID-19 relief) and the tax dispute settlement from Eversource.

To watch Fuller’s entire address can be seen on YouTube.

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