Select Board Puts $500,000 Override on Ballot

Select Board · Meeting of April 14, 2026

Buckland's Select Board voted unanimously to put a $500,000 Proposition 2½ override on the June 2 ballot to close a widening budget gap. Finance Committee Chair Larry Langford said operating expenses are rising 9.5 percent while revenue grows only 3.5 percent, calling it "a math problem." The Mohawk Trail Regional assessment is up 9.9 percent and Franklin County Technical School's is up 9.3 percent, together consuming 57 percent of the general fund. If passed, the override would push the tax rate to about $18.27 per thousand, adding roughly $520 a year for the average home.

Town Administrator Pam said she has spent "nights and weekends" searching for savings without success. The board also approved the annual town meeting warrant, a new compost dumpster at the transfer station, and $4,305 in back pay for Treasurer Kara Leach's tax-collector training. The measure still needs approval at the May 5 town meeting and the June 2 election.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of April 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.