Lexington Town Meeting also approves stabilization fund transfer, budget tweaks and a veteran tax COLA option

In addition to the Lexington High School measures, Lexington’s Special Town Meeting on Nov. 3 approved several financial and policy articles that the Select Board and relevant committees recommended.

Capital stabilization and budgets: Article 3 authorized a $934,782 appropriation to the Town’s capital stabilization fund — financed by levy growth and earmarked commercial revenues — to help mitigate future excluded debt service burdens. The motion passed unanimously (158 in favor, 0 opposed, 2 abstaining).

Article 4 adjusted FY2026 enterprise and CPA operating budgets to align final assessments and actual debt-service payments; the motion passed (156–0–1). Article 6 increased spending limits for three revolving funds (tree fund master plan, compost-site security, expanded health vaccines) and carried (154–1–1).

Veteran tax option: Article 7 adopted the local option in Chapter 59, §5, Clause 22I (the HERO Act), allowing an annual CPI-linked cost-of-living adjustment to veteran real-estate tax exemptions. Town staff estimated the near-term fiscal impact as modest (examples given of FY25 activity and potential FY27 costs under different COLA assumptions); the article passed (150–1–1).

Procedural note: All the above items were recommended by the Select Board and the appropriation or capital committees where required. Town officials said the capital stabilization addition is intended to soften the townwide tax effects of any future excluded debt, including the high-school project approved earlier in the meeting.