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Acton finance committee flags 4.5% operating increase, $43 million DPW project and override risk
Summary
At a first-blush review of the town's new budget, the Acton Finance Committee raised concerns about a roughly 4.5% operating increase, a $43 million DPW building in the capital plan and the likelihood of future override votes if costs are not reduced.
The Acton Finance Committee on Monday reviewed an initial presentation of the town's proposed budget and focused discussion on a projected operating increase of about 4.4'4.5% and a $43,000,000 Department of Public Works (DPW) building listed in the capital plan.
The committee said those items, combined with recurring cost drivers such as health insurance and the Middlesex pension assessment, make another tax override more likely unless concrete cost reductions are identified. "Without some cost cutting initiatives, I think we're likely that we'll see another override in the future," a Finance Committee member said during the meeting.
Why it matters: Acton is constrained by Massachusetts' Proposition 2—2 (commonly called Prop 2—), which limits how much the levy can grow in a year absent voter approval. Committee members repeatedly said the town's operating increase, if…
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