Boxborough Finance Panel Warns Override Vote Likely Needed by 2026

BOXBOROUGH — April 22, 2025 — Boxborough Finance Committee previews $35 million FY26 budget and flags likely Proposition 2.5 override ahead of May 12 Annual Town Meeting. Finance Committee Chair Tony Newton and Select Board Member Bob Semple co-presented the pre-Town Meeting overview, projecting a 4.6 percent operating budget increase that is expected to climb to roughly 5 percent once warrant articles are incorporated. Four bonding articles totaling $4.2 million head to Town Meeting, including $1.7 million for fire station design fees and $1.2 million for a new fire engine. Newton warned that the gap between Boxborough's actual levy growth — averaging 5 percent annually over the past decade — and the statutory levy limit ceiling is narrowing fast, telling viewers "we're going to need to seriously consider a Proposition 2.5 override" as soon as the 2026 Annual Town Meeting, which would be the town's first override since 2006. A separate $30 million fire station construction bond, expected to be structured over 30 years, is also anticipated for the 2026 warrant. The Acton-Boxborough Regional School District's overall budget rose just 2.11 percent after cutting approximately 20.5 full-time-equivalent positions, though Boxborough's assessment rose faster due to rising local enrollment measured on a three-year trailing average.