Boxborough Select Board Unanimously Approves FY2027 Warrant, Avoiding Tax Override

BOXBOROUGH -- March 30, 2026, Boxborough Select Board votes unanimously to finalize FY2027 Annual Town Meeting Warrant without an override. In five consecutive 5-0 roll-call votes, the board recommended, closed, approved, and authorized mailing of the warrant, which carries a budget leaving just under $1 million in excess tax levy, according to Finance Committee representative Maria Neyland. The school assessment came in at approximately 5.5 percent, well below the feared 10 percent, after Acton hit its own levy ceiling, allowing the town to hold services at level funding. The board also unanimously added a $15,000 free-cash article for a Housing Production Plan grant match, with Town Planner Alec Wade saying the 20 to 25 percent local match is "highly competitive in any grant realm" and positions the town to apply for a state grant in early June. Member Wesley Fowlks warned that cutting training and professional development every lean year is "an arbitrary cut" inconsistent with the town's stated goal of investing in employees, with Town Administrator Mike Johns signaling another tight budget cycle ahead tied to a probable fire station debt-exclusion vote.