BUCKLAND — The Selectboard is putting forward a $500,000 override of the tax levy limit to fund school and municipal operations heading into fiscal year 2027.
Finance Committee Chair Larry Langford, speaking with the Selectboard last week, said municipalities across the state are facing a fiscal crisis, and that Buckland has been receiving flat state aid for a while now.
Langford recounted that the town had asked for a $151,262 override in 2023, which he now believes was a mistake, as the amount represented the bare minimum needed. The requested $500,000 override, meanwhile, would cover operating costs and “replenish the reserves that we have depleted over the past several years,” according to Langford. As an override of Proposition 2-1/2, this would be a permanent increase to the town’s tax base.
According to announcement from the town of Buckland, the override would cover the town’s $375,000 deficit for the upcoming fiscal year, while also “[replenishing] reserves which would put Buckland on better financial footing for future years’ budgets.”
The town’s assessment to the Mohawk Trail Regional School District represents 51% of the general fund, though Langford said the district is “just as much of a victim of the state funding as we are.” Selectboard member Joan Livingston raised the question of why the state doesn’t do more for Buckland, to which Langford replied that uncertainty at the federal level is a large reason for why the state is hesitant.
According to town officials, Buckland’s portion of the MTRSD budget is $3.29 million, the highest of any member towns. This is up $296,788 from the current fiscal year. The school budgets as a whole represent the largest budget increase at $356,991, with Franklin Technical School’s portion rising by $28,203 and Smith Vocational School’s rising by $32,000.
Langford said Buckland relies heavily on revenue from property taxes and that the town has faced a chronic revenue problem for years. Town officials say that if the override fails and the MTRSD budget remains the same, “significant cuts in services would have to be made, among them most likely coming from the highway department, transfer station, recreation and libraries.”
The town will hold an informational session on April 30 ahead of the May 5 Town Meeting. It will be led by the Selectboard and the Finance Committee, and residents will have the opportunity to ask questions and comment.
“This is going to hurt,” Selectboard Vice Chair Larry Wells said, “but it’s important if we want to maintain what we have.”
Langford also spelled out three potential threats that exist on the horizon for Buckland’s finances. The first is that the MTRSD budget is going increase at least 5% for fiscal year 2028. Secondly, Buckland’s portion of Franklin County Tech’s proposed $236.6 million building would be at least $250,000 over 30 years. The last is the Department of Environmental Protection testing landfills across the state, including Buckland. Testing alone will cost $150,000 and if something is found in the groundwater, it could cost as much as $300,000.
“Suffice it to say, we have no idea where that money would come from,” Langford said.
Langford called this financial issue a train that is heading in the direction of Buckland, and that “we need to either derail it or do something with it.”
Finance Committee member Paula Consolo said that Buckland does need to pass this override if residents “want our town to remain our town.”
Voters will need to appropriate these funds at Buckland’s Town Meeting on May 5, and will also need to receive approval at the June 2 town election.
