Sunderland Selectboard and Finance Committee Approve FY27 Override Budget Warrant

Selectboard · Meeting of April 13, 2026

WHATELY -- Sunderland's Selectboard 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 Selectboard meeting of April 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.