Sunderland Select Board and Finance Committee Approve FY27 Override Budget Warrant

Select Board · Meeting of April 13, 2026

WHATELY — Sunderland's Select Board and Finance Committee jointly approved a two-tiered FY27 operating budget and all 18 warrant articles for Annual Town Meeting at their April 13 joint session. Both boards voted unanimously — 3-0 and 6-0 respectively — on most articles, including Article 3, the central override budget: $11,930,312 if voters approve a Proposition 2.5 override at a coming election, or $11,273,299 under the base scenario, a difference of roughly $657,000 in property-tax capacity. Finance Committee Chair Val corrected the override section mid-meeting, replacing an erroneous free-cash figure with the correct $145,904 and removing a mistaken $100,000 stabilization transfer.

Officials warned that a failed override would require the School Committee to reconvene and make cuts school administrators have already described as potentially eliminating music, art, gym hours, a math tutor, and early interventionists. Citizen petitioner Will Sillin, 34 South Main Street, presented Article 18 — a nonbinding resolution to require the town's Community Choice Power program to default to the lowest rate — telling the boards, "We're talking about private money, money that sits in people's bank accounts."

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Source: the Select Board meeting of April 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.