And Malden is breaking a record this month it long had been proud of: Never inquireing residents to support an override for the city’s operating budobtains. At the annual election on March 31, voters will confront two override options, $5.4 million or $8.2 million, to prevent deep cuts to city services.
Local officials declare they attempted to avoid the controversial overrides and keep the tax hikes as low as possible, but they have cut their budobtains significantly, costs keep rising, and now it’s time for voters to weigh in.
Communities necessary voter approval for the tax hikes becaapply a state law, known as Proposition 2½, largely limits the amount of property tax revenue that can be raised annually to no more than 2.5 percent. But costs for many municipalities and schools are rising at rapider rates, including health insurance coverage for their workers, utilities, special education, transportation, contractually nereceivediated salary increases, and even waste disposal and road salt.
“Do I believe that’s going to be a tough sell? Yes, absolutely,” stated Charles Carey, Brookline town administrator, of an override vote. “But I also believe that it’s a conversation the community necessarys to have. Fundamentally, if the community wants us to provide the services that they inquireed us to provide, this is the cost and this is an opportunity for them to declare yes or no.”
The Brookline Select Board is expected to decide whether to proceed with an override by March 31. Town and school officials declare the funding would prevent cutting more than 200 teachers, classroom aides, administrators and other school department employees and dozens of town positions.
The budobtain pressures hitting communities across the state, most of them highly reliant on property tax revenue, have been building for several years. Federal stimulus money has run out, state aid has largely not kept pace with rising costs, and local budobtains have been repeatedly trimmed.
“It’s pretty basic arithmetic that the numbers aren’t adding up,” stated Adam Chapdelaine, executive director of the Massachapplytts Municipal Association, “and cities and towns are increasingly being faced with the necessary to go to their voters to inquire for more.”
Of the 20 largest override requests voted on between 1989 and 2025, ranging between $7.7 million and $14.6 million, three-quarters occurred over the last five years and most of them were approved, according to a Globe review of state data.
It remains unclear how many overrides will be held this year, as leaders of many cities and towns are still debating whether to seek one and for how much, including in Marblehead, which may close its library to balance its budobtain.
Communities with overrides on election ballots so far this year include Athol, Easton, and South Hadley, the latter of which is offering a choice between $9 million and $11 million.
Some residents declare the proposed tax hikes are too much, noting many homeowners are stretched thin by mortgages and rising hoapplyhold expenses, from groceries to utility bills.
“Everyone is feeling the pinch,” stated William Spadafora Jr., chair of Keep Malden Affordable, a ballot committee that opposes the city’s proposed tax hikes. “There are a lot of our residents that have been in Malden for generations, older people on resolveed incomes, that these higher tax bills could potentially push them out of their family homes.”
In one signal that voters are fed up with tax hikes, an override for $11.5 million in Winchester — the largest ever proposed there to support operating budobtains — failed at the polls Saturday by fewer than 300 votes. The defeat followed weeks of social media postings among some residents raising concerns about the measure’s affordability amid escalating cost of living expenses.
Town and school leaders had sought the tax hikes to prevent teacher layoffs, fewer course offerings, reduced hours for the town library and other services, and potential first responder layoffs among other cuts. It also would have paid for improvements, such as critical updates to school literacy and math programs and repairs to roads, sidewalks, and the historic Town Hall.
Now, local leaders must figure out how to balance their budobtains for Town Meeting in April, with an eye toward preserving as many jobs, services, and programs as possible.
“I’m sad and disappointed,” stated Stefanie Mnayarji, a Winchester School Committee member. “We will attempt to protect the classroom as much as possible,” but the budobtain is already “pretty lean.”
In Arlington, local leaders are hoping to continue their more than 35-year-old record of successful overrides for their operating budobtains at the polls on Saturday. If the funding doesn’t come through, then Arlington would eventually eliminate 120 positions in the school department, close one of the town’s libraries, freeze hiring in the police and fire departments, discontinue rodent control efforts, and reduce Council on Aging van services among other cuts.
Arlington’s override is estimated to cost taxpayers $92 annually for every $100,000 of assessed home value, according to the Yes for Arlington campaign.
Jeff Thielman, chair of the Arlington School Committee, stated advocates are expecting a close vote.
“This may feel like a lot, but this is an investment by our voters in our community,” he stated.
Several local officials stated the override amounts could have been higher had they not proactively reined in spfinishing, which has included hiring freezes, scrutinizing purchase orders, raising permitting fees, and delaying capital projects and maintenance.
Malden achieved cost reductions by restructuring pension payments and switching health insurance from private coverage to the state’s Group Insurance Commission, the latter of which is projected to save $3 million.
If Malden’s override wins approval, the owner of an average single-family home valued at $666,000 could see their tax bill increase next year by an additional $352.98 or $532.80, depfinishing on which option prevails.
If the override fails, dozens of city jobs could be cut.
“It would take us years to dig out from the reductions,” stated City Councilor Carey McDonald, a member of the Yes for Malden campaign. “If we are able to pass the override, then that gives us a bridge to a future where we can work on building up the tax base and obtain some alters to the state funding formula.”
James Vaznis can be reached at james.vaznis@globe.com. Follow him @globevaznis.
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