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Brookline Select Board sends $23.25 million override question to May ballot after heated debate
Summary
After hours of presentations, union appeals and public testimony, the Brookline Select Board voted 4–0–1 to place a $23,254,439 operating override on the May ballot (schools $17,944,439; municipal $5,310,000). Board members debated tiered vs. single questions and heard warnings about cuts to schools and public safety if funding falls short.
The Brookline Select Board voted to place a $23,254,439 operating override on the May ballot, allocating $17,944,439 for the public schools and $5,310,000 for municipal departments.
Chair Bernard Green summarized the schedule and stakes at the start of the discussion: “we have until 11:59PM on March 31 to do this,” and later framed the choice as whether to offer voters a single full‑funding question or a tiered menu of options.
Town Administrator Chaz presented staff analysis of multiple approaches and their tradeoffs, including a top‑line, phased‑in option and front‑loaded alternatives. He described the highest amount under discussion as a phased approach with a “top tier equaling the total ask of the town and school of $23,250,000,” and explained the difference between phasing and taking money upfront: timing changes when taxpayers pay and how much cushion the town…
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