WARWICK — The town is finalizing its budget for Annual Town Meeting and will present two options to voters in an effort to prevent an override.
Annual Town Meeting will be held on Monday, May 4, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.
Diana Noble, former Finance Committee chair and current School Committee chair who has stepped in as assistant town coordinator, explained that the largest focus for voters to consider on the 27-article warrant is the budget. The estimated total tax increase for fiscal year 2027 is 16.3%, or $341,800, from $2.09 million in FY26 to about $2.43 million.
“We are modeling an increase in the estimated total of taxation at 16.3%, and a tax rate of 18.25%,” Noble said.
The two largest drivers for the increase are rising health insurance and benefits, which accounts for 59% of the hike, and paying off the interest for the new fire truck that was purchased last year. These are both fixed costs, rather than new spending.
To avoid an override to cover these increases, two articles will be voted on at Annual Town Meeting. Noble explained two options are being presented for how the town can use its Stabilization Fund reserves.
Article 25 proposes using $30,000 from the Stabilization Fund to “balance the budget,” according to Noble.
“We had an extra surprise or two as the process was ending, and rather than going to an override, we said, ‘Well, we’ve got a fairly healthy stabilization balance,’” she said. “So we put $30,000 in as revenue, taking the money out of the savings account to balance the budget.”
Article 26 presents the option to use $133,000 from the Stabilization Fund to reduce the tax burden. Both Article 25 and 26 need a two-thirds majority vote to pass.
If it doesn’t pass, Warwick will be “structurally” beyond an override, according to Noble. During a budget presentation to the public on April 30, she explained that the town would have to look at “absolutely everything” in the budget to find an extra $30,000.
“We would have to figure that out. So I’m very hopeful that the town will support that level of use from stabilization,” she said.
The Finance Committee has stated it is in full support of Article 25, but took a neutral stance on Article 26. Members explained that by introducing these two articles, it gives taxpayers a level of control and autonomy on what they would prefer.
As for the rest of the warrant, there are no citizen’s petition articles, nor any articles the town intends to recommend passing over. Other articles include:
- Article 22: allocating $87,257 for the FY26 snow and ice deficit.
- Article 23: appropriating free cash in the amount of $252,688 to reduce the tax levy.
- Article 27: amending the town’s accessory dwelling unit (ADU) bylaw to state that approval of a second ADU, beyond the first one that is allowed by right, can be obtained with a special permit on lots that include at least 2 acres of buildable land.
The full 27-article warrant can be viewed at warwickma.org/selectboard/2026-05-04-annual-town-meeting-warrant.
