Hanover's Critical Crossroads: $3.7M Override or "Visible and Real" Impacts

Town manager says no "third bite at the apple" if measure fails; officials project sustainable budget through 2032 if passed

HANOVER - April 16 - Hanover officials present a stark choice to residents: approve a $3.7 million override or face significant cuts to town services in the coming years. The message comes as the town grapples with rising fixed costs and limited revenue growth.

During a budgetary forum held at Hanover High School, town leaders outlined the consequences of operating solely within the constraints of Proposition 2½, which limits property tax increases to 2.5% annually plus new growth.

"We are at that critical inflection point for fiscal year 26 as residents decide the implications of a levy limit budget versus the override budgets being proposed," says Jim Hoyes, the town's Budget Director.

The proposed override would add approximately $387 to the average homeowner's annual tax bill, in addition to the $303 increase already coming under the base budget. This brings the total increase to about $690 for a home valued at $770,540.

Town Manager Joe Colangelo emphasizes this year's proposal is significantly reduced from last year's failed $6 million override attempt, which would have added about $1,200 to the average tax bill.

"I think the Select Board, staff, department heads, everyone heard loud and clear what the voters said last year," Colangelo says. "The voters resoundingly said no to the $6 million override at the $1,200 average tax rate bill increase."

The current proposal focuses on affordability and sustainability through fiscal year 2032, when Plymouth County retirement funding obligations will decrease dramatically, freeing up about $6 million in the budget.

Police Chief Timothy Kane paints a concerning picture of what residents can expect without the override. The department has not increased staffing in over 30 years despite call volume growing from 14,000 to more than 20,000 annually over the past decade.

"We have been running on a regular basis with the bare minimum of officers in uniform that we can actually run with to really ensure public safety," Kane says.

Without additional funding, the police station will begin operating on reduced hours, closing to the public at certain times while officers remain on patrol.

"We are literally going to have to lock our doors at certain times, certain days of the week, certain periods of the day, just because we have to prioritize our patrol levels," Kane explains.

Fire Chief Jason Cavallaro reports similar challenges, noting his department has been operating with reduced staffing levels about 70% of the time in recent months.

"We've been running short shifts at five from six about 70% of the time in the last few months," Cavallaro says. "With five on shift, if we have two ambulance calls, which our instances of simultaneous and multiple calls have been increasing, that's four out of the five firefighters committed to those calls."

This staffing shortage has led to a 100% increase in mutual aid usage compared to the same period last year, resulting in slower response times and lost ambulance revenue.

The school department, which lost 36 positions last year, would restore between eight and nine positions under the base budget. With the override, they could bring back 21 to 23 positions.

"Under the base budget at the elementary level, we look to restore a few of the teaching positions that were lost this year, which will bring class size down somewhere to the low mid-20s across K-4," says Mike Oates, the schools' budget and operational director.

Even with the override, the schools would not fully recover from last year's cuts. Superintendent Matt Ferron notes they've shifted their approach.

"What has become very evident over the course of the year is that that's not going to happen," Ferron says about full restoration. "So we've really shifted our focus to building back with greater efficiency and really prioritizing those things that are the most important."

Department of Public Works Director Victor Diniak warns that without additional funding, infrastructure will continue to deteriorate.

"The infrastructure is slowly deteriorating, maybe not at the point of failure yet, but the question is how many years do you go before you do hit that point of failure?" Diniak asks.

Hoyes explains that the town faces structural budget challenges with revenues growing at only 2.5% to 3% annually while fixed costs like health insurance and retirement contributions, which make up 25% of the budget, are increasing at 8% to 10% per year.

"By fiscal year 31, it's 85% of that increment eaten away immediately and eroded by those fixed costs," Hoyes says. "That doesn't leave really anything to fund increases for schools or DPW or the library or any other town hall function."

Colangelo suggests this override attempt may be the last for the foreseeable future.

"I think it's fair to say if it's not passed this year, there's likely not going to be a third bite at the apple next year or the year after," he says.

The annual town meeting will take place on Monday, May 5, followed by town elections on Saturday, May 17, when residents will vote on the override.

Full forum available via HCTV.