With Town Meeting less than two weeks away, the Select Board and School Committee want to answer residents’ questions about the proposed budget and overrides.
The public is invited to two Q&A sessions at Dunkin’ Donuts in Village Plaza.
The dates are: Wednesday, April 29, 3-4 p.m. and Thursday, April 30, 9-11 a.m.
Last week, the Select Board Wednesday approved a tiered, three-year property tax override plan, advancing a proposal designed to restore services, stabilize finances and phase in new revenue over time.
Finance Director Aleesha Benjamin outlined the structure, which includes three escalating tiers — $9 million, $12 million and $15 million — each building on the previous level and implemented over three years. Wednesday’s presentation also included more specific details on tax impact and cuts that might be restored.
What each tier includes
The base level, or “partial restore,” would restore a range of cuts made to balance the current budget. That includes:
— Restores 15 positions cut in FY27 balanced budget
— Allows library to apply for accreditation waiver by restring at least four fulltime staff
— Brings back police school resource officer
— Restores DPW, Rec & Parks, COA, public buildings and finance— Restores part of the Community Development Department and a laborer in the Cemetery Department
— Restores town’s long-term financial health contribution, including stabilization funding
Tier two, at $12 million, adds staffing and operational investments, including seven positions — two firefighters, a police officer, an IT director, a budget analyst, a part-time social worker and a GIS specialist — along with $450,000 for building and infrastructure maintenance.
Tier three, the $15 million option, includes additional staffing and long-term investments, including more public safety personnel, a stormwater foreman, a grant writer, $60,000 annually for mental health services and $1 million in recurring capital funding.
Officials emphasized that many of the positions represent restorations rather than new growth.
“They’re just positions that have been cut from departments over a number of years,” Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer said.
Costs to taxpayers
Rather than implementing the full override at once, the plan phases in increases over three years.
For the median home valued at $998,600, the estimated tax impact would be:
- Tier one ($9 million): $130 in year one, about $919 total over three years
- Tier two ($12 million): $180 in year one, about $1,230 total
- Tier three ($15 million): $430 in year one, about $1,530 total
Officials said the first-year impact is lower in part because schools are not requesting additional funding in that year.
Key graphic
Select Board members agreed that the key graphic in Benjamin’s nine-page presentation laid out all the choices voters have. That graphic is here:
How the vote works
First, Town Meeting would need to vote next month to authorize the town to put the tiered override (with a value up to $15 million) on the June ballot.
The ballot will present the override as a “pyramid,” where approval of a higher tier includes the lower tiers. The highest tier receiving a majority would determine the outcome.
‘A public promise’
The override plan is paired with a three-year memorandum of understanding that if any tier of the override passes, the town will not ask voters for another permanent tax hike until 2030. The MOU also formalizes a 62/38 split for new revenue based on current cost structures, with 62% allocated to schools.
The agreement includes quarterly financial reviews and a commitment to rebuild stabilization funds, though officials emphasized it is not binding and will be revisited after three years. Select Board member Erin Noonan called it “a public promise.”
But wait, there’s more
In addition to the tiered override for government and school costs, voters will face a second override to cover about $2 million in new trash collection costs. The Select Board voted to institute a new trash fee (about $280 per household) to cover the new, more expensive trash contract. Voters can nullify that fee by approving this second override.
Next steps
Board members said additional work is needed to present a unified financial picture ahead of Town Meeting. The board meets next on April 22.
“We have a very complicated override,” said member Moses Grader. “We need a clear articulation of where the numbers come from and what they mean to residents.”
