The Town of Holden seeks voter approval for a $5.5 million override. 

No one wants to pay more taxes. But Holden is facing severe cuts if the override fails. This situation has been worsening over the past 5+ years. With sky high inflation in recent years and state funding to towns and schools districts not keeping up, we have no choice but to pursue an override to protect the services that we rely on every day - things like our Library, our Senior Center, and our Emergency Responders. 

For several years, we have been using our savings to delay an override. This year, the draft FY27 budget already relies on about $2 million in savings to reduce the amount of the override and avoid deeper cuts. This approach cannot continue, because the Town is running out of savings. Using savings can delay the problem, but it cannot solve it.

The Holden Finance Committee did not arrive at its recommendation lightly. The graphic below depicts the robust process they followed to examine all proposed spending before recommending an override to the Board of Selectmen. 

The Board of Selectmen voted to put a $5.5 million override on the ballot. 

What does this mean for me? How much will it cost? 

The proposed override would increase property taxes on the average Holden home by $753 per year. That works out to about:

•  $63 per month

•  or a little over $2 per day

The Town has created a Override Tax Impact Calculator so you can figure out your exact tax impact based on your address:

https://www.holdenma.gov/home/news/2026-override-tax-impact-calculator

Each voter will decide whether that cost is worth preserving the services Holden depends on. The question is whether the alternative — major reductions in Library hours, senior services, public safety staffing, and delayed infrastructure repairs — is a better choice for the Town.