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The Select Board on Feb. 24 released a letter and updated presentation outlining an $11.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 override headed to the March 21 town election ballot.
The full 44-page document, including the Select Board’s letter and detailed presentation slides covering tax impact, capital needs, cost savings and a no-override scenario, is available below.
The override would split $9 million for operating costs and $2.5 million for capital needs, with about half drawn in fiscal year 2027 and the rest in fiscal year 2028. The board cited a structural deficit of $5 million and growing, driven by limited revenue growth under Proposition 2 1/2 against rising expenses from union contracts, health insurance and infrastructure needs.
For the average home, assessed at roughly $1.46 million, the override would add $719 in the first year and $737 in the second, totaling $1,455 over two years.
The plan emerged from the State of the Town process, which convened more than 20 representatives from town boards and committees and met nearly 20 times between June 2025 and January 2026. The board voted unanimously in support.
Capital funds would go toward Town Hall repairs and critical building systems work at McCall, Lincoln and Ambrose schools. The plan also includes more than $1.7 million in new non-property tax revenue and cost containment measures, including capping school budget growth at 4.25%, down from a historical rate of about 5.5%.
Will Dowd is a Massachusetts journalist who covers municipal government and community life for Winchester News. He runs The Marblehead Independent, a reader-funded digital newsroom.
