How the FY26 to FY27 Simulator Works

Educational tool only. This is an independent civic project and is not an official City of Fall River website. The simulator is meant to help residents understand budget tradeoffs; it should not be treated as an official municipal budget tool.

Quick Start

Start with the proposal

The simulator begins with the FY2027 proposed General Fund budget released as of May 12, 2026.

Compare FY26 to FY27

Each row shows the FY2026 amount, the FY2027 proposed amount, and the proposed dollar and percentage change.

Adjust an area

Use the minus and plus buttons to lower or raise a department's FY2027 amount in $500K steps.

Watch the balance

The balance updates as you change spending. A surplus means your version spends less than available revenue; a deficit means it spends more.

The Goal

This simulator is designed to make one question easier to see: what changed from FY2026 to the FY2027 proposed budget, and what happens if you raise or lower major spending areas?

The starting point is the proposed FY2027 General Fund total of $484.5M, compared with $456.0M in FY2026.

What You Can Change

Department areas — Education, Public Safety, Community Maintenance, Insurance & Benefits, Pension, Debt Service, and other General Fund categories.
FY2027 amounts — The controls change the FY2027 amount directly. They do not apply abstract growth assumptions.
$500K steps — Each plus or minus click changes the selected area by $500K so the tradeoff is easy to see.
Line-item context — Expanding an area shows the FY2026 line items that make up that category.

What Stays Fixed

Revenue is held at the FY2027 proposed level while you adjust spending. This keeps the experience focused on the question residents usually ask first: where did spending go up or down, and what would happen if that changed?

The revenue assumptions section shows the proposed sources, including state aid, tax levy, local receipts, and other sources.

Important Caveats

Some areas are hard to change. Pension, debt service, assessments, and employee benefits are often driven by contracts, state requirements, debt schedules, or other obligations.
The simulator still lets you test them. That does not mean they are easy or legally available cuts; it only shows the budget impact.
This is simplified. Real budgets are adopted by line item, fund, department, and legal category. This tool groups many lines into readable public-facing areas.

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