Hanson Approves $3M Override Budget, Awaits May 17 Vote
$3 million proposal would raise average property tax by $720 annually; aims to maintain services and education funding
HANSON - May 5 - Hanson residents at Monday's Annual Town Meeting approve a $3 million override budget that would maintain town services and school funding, contingent on passage at the ballot box on May 17.
The override budget passes by a vote of 234-118 after extensive debate about the town's financial situation and the impact on taxpayers.
"We are at a crossroads. We can either provide the resources necessary to maintain the town we value, or we can begin to dismantle the services that hold it together," Finance Committee Chair Kevin Sullivan tells voters. "This is not a scare tactic. It's a fiscal reality."
If approved by voters at the May 17 election, the override will add approximately $720 annually to the tax bill of a home valued at $500,000, or about $60 per month.
The override includes $1.48 million for the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District assessment, $344,000 to add four additional firefighters/paramedics, and $1.18 million for other town operational services.
Town Administrator Lisa Green explains that 85% of Hanson's revenue comes from property taxes, with local receipts accounting for 9% and state aid just 6%.
"Unfortunately, the state is giving less and less to towns, which costs more in your property taxes to be able to run local government," Green says.
Fire Chief Robert O'Brien notes that his department frequently operates with simultaneous emergency calls, requiring staff to be recalled.
"More than 50% of the time right now we're doing simultaneous runs," O'Brien says. "So every time we have to do simultaneous runs or if the ambulance has to transport with three, we're recalling people."
Police Chief Michael Miksch explains that his department operates with as few as three officers per shift and as many as five under normal circumstances.
Without the override, the town faces significant cuts across departments, including the elimination of one police officer and one firefighter position, deferring the purchase of three police cruisers, eliminating one highway laborer, reducing transfer station hours, and cutting $940,000 from the school district budget.
The override would also eliminate the need to appropriate $1.61 million in free cash, which helps the town's bond rating.
School Committee member Kara Moser explains that the school budget is a level services budget with no new additions, but faces rising costs in mandated areas.
"The cost for special ed services has increased exponentially over the past five years. The reimbursement that we get from the state has not increased exponentially over the last five years," Moser says.
She adds that the district must pay for students attending charter and vocational schools, often at nearly double the per-pupil cost within the district, without equivalent state reimbursement.
Jim Armstrong, a former school committee member, provides historical context, noting that in the 1990s, 74% of the school budget came from the state when the district regionalized, compared to much less today.
"The state's not supporting us like they used to. So over the years, we've had to figure out a way to get there. And occasionally we have to do an override in order to get there," Armstrong says.
Several residents question why police, fire, and school funding are combined in one override rather than separate questions. Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett explains that last year's school-only override attempt "did not go well" and led to cuts in other town departments.
The override is permanent, meaning the $3 million will remain in the tax levy and increase by 2.5% annually along with other tax levy components.
In other significant votes, residents:
- Reject a $275,000 appropriation for legal fees to defend against potential lawsuits related to the town's non-compliance with MBTA Communities zoning requirements
- Approve $53,000 for a salt/sand spreader for the Highway Department but reject other capital equipment requests
- Approve $19,500 to install a water wheel and make repairs at the Nathaniel Thomas Mill
- Reject a citizen's petition to repeal the town's ban on miniature alcohol containers ("nips")
The nip bottle ban debate features passionate arguments from both sides. Supporters of maintaining the ban cite the thousands of discarded nip bottles found during town cleanups and note a decrease in roadside litter since implementation.
"Living on a really busy road since the nip ban, my children do not have to pick up hundreds of nip bottles off of our street when we're waiting for the bus," says resident Wendy Brown.
Opponents, including local liquor store representatives, argue the ban hurts small businesses without addressing the underlying issue of littering behavior.
"Minis are not the cause of the problem. Bad behavior is the problem," says Arvind Patel, manager of a local store.
Town Moderator Sean Kealy expresses concern after learning that one store continues to sell nips despite the ban being in effect since January.
“I don't care whether we ban nips or not. What bothers me, what really disgusts me, is when people don't follow the law that this town meeting passed. And not just once, but twice,” Kealy says.
He adds, “This town meeting has been the ultimate legislative body for this town since 1820. And to have it just disregarded, I think what I have to do is to sit down with the select board, and perhaps some department heads, and figure out, going forward, how the dictates of this meeting are going to be observed and respected going forward.”
Hanson town meeting proceeded uphold the ban for the second time, the third time it has been debated on the floor in three town meetings.
The Annual Town Meeting adjourns with residents encouraged to vote in the May 17 election that will determine whether the override budget takes effect.