Boxborough Finance Committee Flags School Override Could Bust Town Levy Limit

BOXBOROUGH — January 23, 2024 — Boxborough Finance Committee reviews FY2025 departmental budgets and flags regional school override risk. The committee heard FY2025 budget presentations January 23 from Director of Land Use and Planning Alec, covering the Conservation Commission, Land Use and Permitting, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Economic Development Committee, and Board of Health, and from Recreation Commission Chair Megan Connor on a plan to shift program expenses into a revolving fund with a proposed new ceiling of $125,000. The land use director withdrew a proposed $1,610.52 Housing Board meeting-secretary line and consolidated Planning Board and Zoning Board meeting-secretary costs under Land Use at $7,102, reducing the Planning Board budget from $11,855 to $7,942. The Board of Health budget was held pending the annual Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control assessment, which cost $34,800 in FY2024. Finance Committee member Gary delivered the sharpest news of the evening, reporting that the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District's override-backed Budget A would increase Boxborough's regional assessment by 15.7 percent — requiring the town to raise $28.8 million against an estimated levy limit of $27.2 million — while the no-override Budget B would produce a 6.9 percent increase against the district's current $106 million operating budget.