Town adopts $83.3 million operating budget; residents debate override impacts on services and schools

Voters adopted the town’s omnibus operating budget, totaling about $83.3 million, by a clicker vote of 301–56 after line-item review and public questions about the effect of a potential Proposition 2½ override.

Moderator and select board representatives walked the meeting through page ranges of the budget and took ‘‘holds’’ from residents on specific line items for later discussion. Residents and department leaders asked how the budget would change if an override failed; the town manager explained that the budget contains a ‘‘with-reductions’’ column and that specific choices (which positions or programs to cut) were left to department heads and committees so they could manage shortfalls where needed.

School Committee Chair Kathy Lewis said the schools had calculated a notional reduction of roughly $687,580–$756,000 if the override did not pass, which could equate to the loss of approximately six teachers in a small district and would have ‘‘devastating’’ impacts on local schools. The town manager and board described the reductions as budgeted totals that would need to be allocated across departments rather than as fixed layoffs tied to specific line items.

After public questions and clarifications about pension, medical-insurance assumptions, and the separate wastewater enterprise fund, the operating budget was adopted. Officials reminded voters that several large capital borrowings and Proposition 2½ ballot questions related to some articles would be decided at the polls on Saturday.