Select Board split over override timing as finance committee urges early vote; CPA withdrawal proposed as one option

GRAFTON — The Select Board and School Committee split Tuesday over how quickly to commit to a Proposition 2½ override to make up a projected $1.484 million FY27 shortfall, with finance committee members urging the board to place a question on the ballot soon and some select board members asking for more detailed, scrubbed budget numbers before pledging to a figure.

Finance committee members pressed the board to act early so voters have time for public hearings and outreach. "We know today that we are going to need an override, or we will have extreme cuts," Dan Kushner, a finance committee member speaking for himself, said during public comment. "You don't need to have the exact numbers before you go out and tell people, this is what we need."

Select Board members and some school committee members said they wanted the detailed, scrubbed budget (including finalized contract and health‑insurance numbers and the Cherry Sheet state aid figures) to inform any override cap. Board members also debated whether the budget process spelled out in the town charter and the finance committee's March review should be respected before setting the public ask.

Local revenue option floated: CPA withdrawal During the meeting the Chair raised an idea to withdraw from the Community Preservation Act (CPA), the 1.5% local surcharge that in Grafton currently produces roughly $750,000 a year in revenue. "We could consider withdrawing from the Community Preservation Act," the Chair said, noting the move would reduce taxpayers' immediate bill but would not itself change the baseline operating budget without an override. Finance committee member Greg Morrow clarified that withdrawing CPA reduces how the tax bill is calculated but does not itself eliminate the need for appropriations or a decision on an override.

Why it matters: Timing is constrained by charter and ballot deadlines. Finance committee members said mid‑April filing and the town’s town‑meeting and ballot schedules require an early decision if the board wants an override on the spring ballot. Select Board members said they would continue to refine the budget and asked administrators to present scrubbed numbers by early February and ahead of the finance committee hearings.

What’s next Select Board members added a standing agenda item for the budget and plan to meet next week to continue the discussion. Finance committee members urged the board to decide whether voters should be given the override choice and to allow sufficient time for public hearings and outreach.