BUCKLAND — Ahead of Annual Town Meeting, the Selectboard has voted unanimously to not recommend the Mohawk Trail Regional School District and the Franklin County Technical School operating assessments for fiscal year 2027.
The board’s April 28 vote comes off the heels of advancing a $500,000 override during its meeting on April 14 to fund school and municipal operations heading into FY27. The Finance Committee aligns with the Selectboard’s decision, voting to not recommend both operating assessments during an April 21 meeting.
Annual Town Meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 5, at 6:30 p.m. at Mohawk Trail Regional School. Residents will have the chance to vote on the town’s operating budget, capital expenses and education costs on the 18-article warrant.
Articles 6 and 8 are the Mohawk Trail and Franklin Tech operating assessments, respectively. Town Administrator Pamela Guyette explained Buckland’s assessment to Mohawk Trail is up $296,788 over FY26, at a total of $3.29 million.
“It’s unaffordable for our town,” Selectboard member Joan Livingston said of the Mohawk Trail operating assessment. “I question what cuts could have been made.”
Meanwhile, Buckland’s Franklin Tech assessment rose $28,203 over the FY26 assessment, bringing the FY27 figure to $332,955. Guyette reminded the Selectboard that Buckland is guaranteed a certain number of slots for students at Franklin Tech, but could be given extra slots if Franklin Tech doesn’t have the space filled by students from other member towns.
Although the board does not support paying the operating assessments to the two school districts, Selectboard members did vote unanimously in favor of the Mohawk Trail and Franklin Tech capital assessments. The board also voted to back Article 10, covering $32,000 in tuition and transportation costs for one student attending Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in Northampton.
Education as a whole makes up the largest increase in Buckland’s budget, rising by $356,991 over FY26’s figures. This represents a 9.8% increase, with the total education budget being $3.7 million. Guyette said this represents more than half of the town’s total operating budget, which sits at around $6.4 million.
Addressing the town’s budget and the $500,000 override request, Guyette said Annual Town Meeting voters will first need to approve the town’s operating budget, and then agree to the override by a ballot vote at the June 2 election. As an override of Proposition 2½, this would allow a permanent increase to the town’s tax base.
Town officials say that if the override fails and the Mohawk Trail budget remains the same, significant cuts in services would have to be made, most likely coming from the Highway Department, Transfer Station, recreation and libraries.
The wording of this ballot question was recently changed at the recommendation of the Finance Committee, as it previously asked for voter approval to raise the levy limit for the sum of “up to $500,000.” However, now it reads simply “$500,000.”
Buckland’s total operating budget for FY27 represents a roughly 8.5% increase over FY26 when it was around $5.9 million.
“Even with very strategic financial planning over the last several years, the 2.5% that our levy limit can increase each year has been outpaced by increases to fuel, health insurance, solid waste management, IT and more,” Guyette said.
Some areas of the budget that saw sizeable increases are insurance and retirement, which Guyette said rose by 21% from FY26. Funding for police, animal control and emergency management, which are all under the umbrella of “Protection of Persons and Property,” is up 8%. “Culture and Recreation,” which includes the libraries, the Recreation Department, village improvements and cultural events, is up by 6.1% in FY27.
Outside of Articles 6 and 8, the Selectboard voted to support the rest of the warrant articles. Guyette said all of the articles this year are “tied to the budget” in some way, meaning there are no bylaw changes or citizen’s petitions that voters will grapple with.
To view the full Annual Town Meeting warrant, visit tinyurl.com/BucklandATM2026.
