Boxborough FinCom Finds $1 Million Levy Gap Under Proposed School Assessment

BOXBOROUGH — January 30, 2024 — Boxborough Finance Committee faces a $1 million levy shortfall tied to regional school override. With the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District's proposed FY25 assessment to Boxborough set at 15.59 percent — or $16,117,000 — the town's current operating budget would require raising approximately $28,262,000, exceeding the levy limit including excess capacity by roughly $1 million. Finance Committee Chair Maria Nealon called the figure "irresponsible" given the town's multi-year fiscal outlook, and member Gary Kushner reported that when he asked the regional school committee for a number between full funding and level funding, "school committee said no — they want to go with the full override or nothing." Acton-Boxborough School Committee Chair Adam, attending the meeting, said structural reforms including potential school choice changes and health care cost reductions would be formally presented to the school committee at a Budget Saturday session on February 10, and asked FinCom to withhold judgment until then. The committee also received a police department briefing showing a new canine program budgeted at $29,026 and a dispatch transition saving approximately $413,000 annually, and voted unanimously to approve its January 23 minutes.