Sunderland FY27 Override

Unofficial results

According to the unofficial results read to the public at the close of polls on May 2nd, the override passed 424-183, or about 69.9% supporting. The incumbents won the school committee race.

Sunderland is a great place to live

Our vibrant, friendly community is supported by responsive and hard-working departments, like Police, Highway, Library, and, of course, our Elementary School.

But today, inflation, rising costs, and increasingly limited state and federal support mean that Sunderland, like many communities in Massachusetts, must generate more revenue at the local level in order to maintain essential community services at current levels. Essentially, the cost of providing services has outpaced the property tax revenue growth allowed under Proposition 2 1/2.

In order to maintain current services, Sunderland must raise the limit on property tax growth (i.e., pass an "override"). Raising the limit requires passage at Town Meeting (April 24) and at the Town Election (May 2).

Town leadership is unified in recognizing the need for an override now. The Selectboard and Finance Committee have held countless meetings with department leaders over the past several months to go over the budget, line by line, and make cuts wherever possible. As a result, we will still see cuts to most departments by 5%--including 8% for the school--even if the override passes.

"You can't run a town on nothing, and we've been trying really hard to run a town on nothing." -Nathaniel Waring, Chair, Selectboard

"We enjoy good services in this town because we pay for them. If we don't pay for them, we won't have them." -Lorin Starr, Library Board of Trustees

If the override fails, we will see significant cuts in services across all town departments that will be felt by everyone--this year and for years to come. Cuts won't just be in one department; they will broadly impact town operations: school, fire, police, ambulance, library, senior center, and highway.

On May 2, Sunderland will vote on a Proposition 2 1/2 override to maintain funding of public resources for every Sunderland resident.

What will be cut?

Departments were asked to cut 5% from FY26 budgets for the FY27 budget, so there will be reductions across all departments, even if the override passes. If the override fails, department budget cuts will be approximately 20%.

Elementary School

The school has cut 8% from its budget, regardless of the override. These cuts include:

combining two classes into one at two different grade levels,
reduction of PE classes, and
elimination of three instructional assistant (IA) positions.

Override failure: all the cuts listed above, as well as:

elimination of all art classes
elimination of all music classes (vocal and instrumental)
elimination of all library/media center classes
elimination of school adjustment counselor position
elimination of a fourth IA position
elimination of math interventionist

Police

5% cuts include:

cutting part-time police officers
cutting a full-time police officer in training
eliminating police coverage on holidays
reducing overnight coverage

Override failure: no budget provided; department indicated a 20% reduction would "completely decimate the department."

Library

The library will make up some of its 5% reduction through Friends of the Library fundraising, but there will be a reduction in materials, meaning fewer new books, audiobooks, and magazines.

Hours will revert to 40 hours a week. (This year they were open 47 hours a week using grant funding.)

Override failure:

Elimination of key programs, activities, and events, including the summer concerts series, Adventure East outdoor programs, guest lectures such as local history presentations and author talks, adaptive music classes, arts and crafts workshops, cookie decorating events, and animal demonstrations.
Budget cuts will mean the library will not meet state certification requirements, which puts the library at risk of losing its certification and eligibility for state aid; the library would need a certification waiver to be eligible for state aid. State aid is an important source of financial support for the library, and it also enables the library to apply for state and federal grants. Certification is an essential aspect of the library's ability to provide service. It is a requirement for membership in the CWMARS system, which provides interlibrary loan and electronic loans, and the ability to check out materials from another library. A loss of certification means Sunderland residents have access to Sunderland Public Library's in-house materials only.
Limitations on the ability to purchase or repair computers for public use and laptops, as well as the availability of hotspots.
20% reduction in cleaning services.
Delays in necessary maintenance and capital projects.
Reduction in spending on basic library and building supplies.

Highway

5% cuts will come from equipment maintenance, machinery, tree warden, fuel, and overtime hours.

Override failure: Major reductions in the categories above, severely limiting its ability to maintain the town's roads and sidewalks

Town Hall

(More to come)

EMS and Fire

(More to come)

South County Senior Center

FY27 increase is due to:

Relocation to 112 Amherst Road, which is a huge opportunity for both SCSC and Sunderland because it (1) enables programming in one location (vs. spread out over 3 towns); (2) avoids expense of purchasing or constructing a building; and (3) keeps SCSC in Sunderland on a long-term basis.
Sunderland's assessed share of expenses has increased

Override failure: Uncertain future for permanent location and potential for larger expenses in coming years to buy or construct a building.

General FAQs

What is Proposition 2 ½?

Proposition 2 ½ is a Massachusetts law that limits the amount of property tax revenue a municipality can raise through real and personal property taxes. This revenue is called the “tax levy.”

Prop 2 ½ limits how much the tax levy can be increased from year-to-year. The maximum amount a community can levy in any given year is called the “levy limit.” The levy limit is calculated as 2.5% of the previous year's levy limit plus new growth to the tax base.

A community cannot exceed its levy limit without voter approval (Town Meeting and Town Election).

2. What is an override?

An override is a voter-approved, permanent property tax increase. It is designed to provide a community with the ability to generate sufficient revenues to fund recurring costs that are likely to continue into the future, such as annual operating expenses for educational and municipal services.

A “general override,” a “Proposition 2½ override,” or an “operating override” are all different names for the same thing.

3. How does an override work?

By passing an override, the Town can assess taxes in excess of the automatic annual 2.5% increase and any increase due to new growth. An override results in a permanent increase in the levy limit. Because this is a permanent increase, the amount of an approved override becomes part of the tax levy that can be increased by 2.5% in subsequent years.

4. Why does Sunderland need an override this year?

Like many Massachusetts communities, Sunderland has a structural deficit created by Proposition 2 ½ limitations. This means that costs for providing the same level of services year-to-year rise faster than revenue. Town spending does not create a structural deficit; a lack of revenue does. Factors that have contributed to the structural deficit include:

limited alternative (non-property tax) revenue sources
loss of federal funds that helped support budgets in the past
inflation
higher utility costs
Higher costs for equipment
Higher costs of employee benefits, particularly health insurance

5. How much will the override increase my taxes?

Average home values
Average Single Family
Median Single Family
Calculator?

6. My most recent property tax bill was higher than I expected. Why do we need an increase on top of that?

Sunderland passed on override in 2023 (for FY24) for the Capital Stabilization Fund to address increasing capital spending needs. This tax increase was omitted from FY25 taxes due to an accounting error, though, resulting in, essentially, a one-year tax break for residents. While the town can't make up for this loss of revenue in subsequent bills, FY26 tax bills are based on what the FY25 amount should have been, resulting in an apparent higher-than-expected increase.

News and additional information

Visit https://www.townofsunderland.us/ for current information on elections in Sunderland, Massachusetts, USA.

Questions? Contact sunderlandvotes@gmail.com

This website is hosted at no cost on google sites using a domain that was already owned by a Sunderland resident. No funds have been spent to build or maintain this website.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse