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Town reports progress on expenditures and revenue study; committee may recommend conditions for any override

5952191 · October 1, 2025
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Summary

Town staff told the Select Board the Expenditure and Revenue Study Committee is nearing final analysis for a possible override recommendation, splitting work among school, town and long‑term revenue/expenditure subgroups and aiming for a preliminary report in December and a final report in January.

Town Administrator’s staff updated the Select Board on the Expenditure and Revenue Study Committee’s work on Sept. 30, describing a split into three subcommittees (school budget, town budget and longer‑term revenue/expenditure options) and a timetable that would allow the Select Board to consider any recommended ballot question in March.

The committee is analyzing current unmet needs, potential savings and additional revenue options beyond property‑tax overrides. Town staff said the committee is proceeding on multiple tracks: validating current expense projections (including health care increases), cataloguing potential efficiency and shared‑service options, and modeling fiscal impacts under different assumptions.

Key points staff raised: the committee has targeted a clearer accounting of “above‑the‑line” shared expenses (e.g., benefits) so departments see the budgetary impacts of hiring decisions; it has recommended retaining the existing town/school revenue split while reducing opaque shared‑expense accounting where practicable; and it has identified an initial town side gap in the mid‑millions (staff cited roughly $3.5 million) in baseline FY27 projections absent further actions or revenue changes. Staff also reported ARPA cliff exposure of about $400,000 to be addressed.

Next steps: the committee expects a preliminary set of recommendations by December and a full report in January so the Select Board — and, if the board chooses a ballot question — can complete public hearings and finalize any warrant language ahead of the March ballot. The town also announced a Harvard Kennedy School field lab will support messaging and design research for any potential override.