Sherborn Draft FY27 Budget Would Require $660,000 Operating Override Vote

Finance Committee · Meeting of January 7, 2026

Sherborn's Advisory Committee heard a stark warning Wednesday that the town's proposed FY27 budget would require a roughly $660,000 operating override if approved as submitted. Town Administrator Jeremy Marcet presented a budget rollup showing an overall 7.5 percent increase over FY26, compared to last year's 3.5 percent, driven largely by a 15 percent health insurance premium hike from the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association, a $168,000 jump in regional emergency dispatch costs tied to a Holbrook agreement, and a $200,000 building maintenance increase. An accounting shift moving out-of-district special education costs from the Pine Hill elementary budget to the regional school assessment further complicated the education numbers, with the regional line appearing up 15.75 percent but the underlying regional school budget up 6.22 percent.

Marcet told the six-member committee that the proposal would consume all of the town's $740,000 in excess levy capacity and still fall short, leaving future budgets constrained to Proposition 2.5 growth of about $980,000 annually without an override vote. Capital requests for the spring town meeting total approximately $3.8 million.

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Source: the Finance Committee meeting of January 7, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.