Select Board weighs phased implementation to lessen first-year tax hit
Summary
Town staff showed models in which a $6.5M override phased over two years would levy $5.0M year one and $1.5M year two, producing an average homeowner impact of roughly $566.52 then $169.95 under FY26 valuations; board asked for more analysis and public materials.
Select Board members pressed staff for concrete examples of how a phased override would affect taxpayers and staffing.
Jane walked the board through a sample two-year phase for a $6.5 million override, saying that "if we were to pass 6.5, over 2 years, then we would look for $5,000,000 in year 1 and 1,500,000 in year 2," and that on the FY26 average valuation of $944,000 that model yields an approximate $566.52 increase in the first year and about $169.95 in year two. The board discussed the mechanics of imposing the full levy capacity in year one while charging residents less in year one, which requires administrative handling by the CFO and clear voter-facing explanations.
Members asked staff to prepare clear voter-education materials and to present detailed phasing language before finalizing the ballot question. The Select Board agreed to revisit precise wording and implementation details in upcoming meetings; final phased schedules and operational impacts will depend on the ballot outcome and finance office implementation.
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