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Natick - Local Town Pages

Override Possible

By Sean Sullivan
The Natick Select Board is debating whether to put a budget override on the ballot for voters next month.
If passed, the measure would allow the town to increase property taxes on residents and other stakeholders. Massachusetts law limits the amount a municipality may increase such taxes annually.
That state ceiling is set at a 2.5% bump per year in addition to new growth, and the override would allow Natick to surpass that limit.
The stated need for an override stems from budget shortfalls in recent years. Those financially lean times have been driven by a so-called structural deficit, wherein town expenditures have exceeded its income. Pandemic-induced inflation has played a role in rising costs and budgetary gaps for Bay State cities and towns.
Natick is far from alone in its override odyssey.
Many Massachusetts municipalities have been united in coping with deficits and offering their residents an opportunity to pass an override to overcome them. Towns and cities have been somewhat divided in how they vote on those measures. Around two-thirds have opted to pass them in recent years.
The state saw 60 override attempts in 2023, the most per year since 2008. That’s been part of a flurry of such votes since the pandemic, with over 100 put before voters during the last few years.
Overriding concerns about passing an override in Natick include its impact on homeowners, who themselves are coping with household inflation. Older residents on fixed incomes too might be acutely vulnerable to the tax increase. The boost in property taxes could also put Natick homes out of reach for potential buyers who are younger and for those with lower incomes.
By charter, the town will have had to submit its proposed budget by Feb. 1st. Officials planned to release two versions of that budget, one including the effects of a successful override and a second edition without it. The latter budget would allow residents to see what services would be cut (and by how much) in order to meet the projected 2026 fiscal shortfall.
“So, by then we will have had the budgets, we will have had multiple public forums,” said Kathryn Coughlin. She serves as chair of Natick’s Select Board, a body she said is committed to letting Natick residents weigh in on the override before the board’s vote.  
Natick schools will be included on the potential chopping block if the override fails, added Coughlin. They comprise the largest line-item in terms of town expenses.
At a Select Board meeting on Jan. 15th, members sought to inform the public about the implications of the override, whether voters give it the thumbs-up or down.
Ultimately, the board clarified, it will be up to residents to approve the measure. But should it pass or fail, the final budget for the next fiscal year is then in the hands of Town Meeting members. Even if the override passes, that body could craft a final budget that makes use of some (or none) of the extra funds gleaned by the increased tax levy.
In a Metrowest Daily News article from March of 2008, dollar amounts seem quaint by today’s standards. The override that year for $3.9 million passed by 10 percentage points, and raised property taxes by $240 on a home valued at $400,000.
This current override estimates that the property tax on a median single family home ($780,400) will rise by $515 annually. The proposed Natick override for fiscal year 2026 is $8,000,000.
The Select Board will vote by Feb. 18th on whether to include the override on the ballot. If the board decides in the affirmative, voters will have their say on it during Natick’s Mar. 25th elections.
Coughlin said the town has already combed over its expenditures in recent years, seeking to cut costs to close Natick’s structural funding gap. While striving to spare student-facing services, she said, Natick schools have cut over $2,000,000 over the past two years.
At the mid-January meeting, Town Administrator Jamie Errickson said that Natick has been operating under the constraints of structural deficits for at least the last decade. Those budget shortfalls, he added, were exacerbated by economic conditions during the pandemic.
“You’re looking at additional cuts to schools and town services,” without the proposed override, he said.
One big driver and casualty of inflation, consumers will know, has been a rise in energy costs. The town, Coughlin pointed out, has been tightening its belt and getting fit for that challenge for years.
“We’ve been doing really good at containing energy usage in buildings because of sustainability principles and practices,” she said.
Board members assured attendees and viewers of the meeting that the town has been diligent in finding ways to cut costs and raise revenues in every corner they can be found. 
“This didn’t suddenly creep up on us,” said Coughlin. “It’s not business as usual.”