Boxborough boards agree no Proposition 2½ override needed for fiscal year 2027

BOXBOROUGH — January 3, 2026 — Boxborough Finance Committee and Select Board agree no override is needed for FY27. At the January 3 Budget Saturday session, Finance Committee Chair Tony Newton presented a levy model showing a 1.9 percent effective levy increase for FY27, leaving roughly $1.1 million in buffer below the allowable levy limit on a $30.9 million operating budget that includes a 5.3 percent Acton-Boxborough Regional School District assessment increase. Town Administrator Mike Garbino confirmed the town's Budget A is a level-service plan built without layoffs. Both Newton and Garbino stated directly that an override will almost certainly be required in FY28, compounded by a roughly $100,000 jump in Neshoba regional dispatch fees and anticipated fire station debt service. Police Chief John Shefchik disclosed a new cruiser-detail revolving account holding $10,400 as of December 1, which requires Town Meeting authorization this May. Fire Chief John Kivlin reported the department is running two firefighters short, with overnight staffing dropping to three — below the four-per-apparatus NFPA standard — on most nights, drawing pointed questions from board members about mutual aid reliance and community safety expectations.