Hanson Faces $3 Million Override Vote Amid Budget Challenges
Select Board Approves Ballot Question as Town Grapples with Rising Costs
HANSON - March 25 - The Hanson Select Board has approved ballot language for a $3 million override question that will ask residents to fund both town operations and school services for the upcoming fiscal year.
During their March 25 meeting, board members unanimously approved the ballot question, which reads: "Shall the town of Hanson be allowed to assess an additional three million dollars in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of balancing the annual budget thus providing full budgetary services for both the town and the schools for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025."
The override aims to address significant budget shortfalls facing the town, with the funds divided among three main areas: $1.47 million for the school assessment, $344,000 to add four firefighters, and $1.17 million for town operational and government services.
"We're merely a conduit for choices to be made," said Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett during the discussion, emphasizing that the ultimate decision rests with voters.
The board debated whether to separate the school portion from the town operations portion of the override but ultimately decided to keep it as one comprehensive question. This approach aligns with neighboring Whitman, which is pursuing a similar strategy with their own override of approximately $2.3 million.
"When we split the question in two, we know that the emails are gonna start flying all over the place from everybody in the school side and they're all gonna fearmonger," said board member Ann Rein. "The tone and tenor of the town right now is they don't want to fund the school, they don't want to fund us, they don't want to fund anybody."
FitzGerald-Kemmett outlined the complications that could arise from splitting the override into separate questions, noting that if one portion passes and another fails, it could create the same problematic situation the town faced last year.
"Any way you look at it, these are inextricably linked," she said, explaining that even if voters approved funding only for town operations, those funds might still need to be diverted to cover school costs if the school committee maintains its assessment.
The school assessment represents a 9.87% increase over the previous year, prompting the board to consider requesting that school officials reconsider their budget. FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested sending a letter "imploring increased partnership and sensitivity to our collective economic situation and the draconian cuts that we would need to make."
Town Administrator Lisa Green confirmed that the override explanation in the town meeting warrant breaks down the three components of the $3 million request to provide transparency to voters.
To gather public input on the override, the town is launching a survey developed in partnership with Bridgewater State University. The survey will be available online and in paper form at various town locations.
*editor’s note: take the survey here
"Hopefully it'll give us a pulse of where the town is," Green said, noting that the survey will ask residents about their knowledge of the override and what services they value most.
The survey will remain open until mid-April, with results to be tallied and presented by Bridgewater State. Green emphasized that responses will be anonymous and that raw data will not be shared with the town.
In addition to the survey, the town has launched a website at www.hansonbudget.com to provide information about the budget and override. The site contains detailed information that is updated regularly as new developments occur.
The override question will appear on the ballot for the town election May 17.
Other significant items discussed at the meeting included:
* The board voted to accept anonymous gifts of two automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for the Hanson Fire Department, which will be placed in command vehicles.
* Historical items from the estate of Henry and Barbara Writington, including town reports from 1958-1960 and a pictorial history of Hanson, were accepted as gifts to the town.
* Two Hanson centennial celebration photographs from Mr. Paul Baresel of Buxton, Maine, whose family was historically involved in town affairs, were accepted as donations.
* The board approved a request from Dollars for Scholars to declare April as "Dollars for Scholars Month" and to erect a fundraising thermometer on town property.
* A proposal to sell a small town-owned parcel of land on Pine Street to an adjacent property owner was tabled for further investigation, with board members expressing concerns about setting a precedent for bypassing the normal auction process for town property sales.
* The board discussed unfunded state mandates affecting school budgets and considered seeking an opinion from the state auditor on the issue.
The Select Board will continue budget discussions at upcoming meetings as the town prepares for both the override vote and the annual town meeting scheduled for May 5.