Special Town Meeting approves override
Nearly $3M measure now goes to April 22 town election
Special Town Meeting voters took the first step to passing a nearly $3 million override of tax limits imposed by Proposition 2½ on April 8.
The next and final step is to put the override to voters at the upcoming April 22 town election.
On a voice vote, the override passed the special Town Meeting. Total turnout for the meeting was 315.
A ballot question will give all town voters the final decision on whether to add $2.991 million to the tax levy with nearly $1.9 million earmarked for the North Middlesex Regional School District.
The remaining funds would go to the Nashoba Valley Technical High School and the town’s operating budget.
In addition to Pepperell, the towns of Ashby and Townsend belong to the North Middlesex district. A special Town Meeting in Townsend, held March 19, approved an override that will add $1.46 million to its tax levy to support the regional school district as well as Nashoba Tech. No additional funds would go toward town services.
As in Pepperell, Townsend voters, too, will vote on April 22 on whether to approve the override.
Ashby has not decided whether to schedule override votes. But if both Pepperell and Townsend approve the override, the regional agreement would bind Ashby to budget appropriately.
Ashby, with a population of 3,193, is the smallest town in Middlesex County. Townsend’s population is 9,127 and Pepperell’s is 11,600.
Pepperell’s vote to approve the Proposition 2½ override comes less than a week after two of its nearest neighbors rejected overrides.
Groton and Dunstable, which both border Pepperell, defeated overriding the tax levy increase at special Town Meetings in their respective communities on April 2. The overrides there were intended to support the Groton-dunstable Regional School District.
Westford and Acton have override votes scheduled later this month. Boxboro, which is joined with Acton in a regional school district, does not plan an override this year.