Town Council Approves $8 Million Override for June Ballot
Measure would fund schools, add firefighters, police officers, and address road repairs if passed by voters
BRIDGEWATER - April 23 - The Bridgewater Town Council has voted unanimously to place an $8,008,272.33 override on the June ballot after extensive discussion during Tuesday's meeting. If approved by voters, the measure would fund the school budget, restore budget cuts to town services, address road repairs, and add positions in fire, police, and other town departments.
The council spent nearly two hours of a more than four hour meeting debating the components of the override, ultimately approving a package that includes $6,034,614.95 for the Bridgewater-Raynham School District, $500,000 for road repairs, $422,658.33 to restore budget cuts, and $1,050,999.05 for additional town positions.
"This number addresses our glaring needs in the school, but it also addresses four firefighter positions, two police officers, a mental health social worker clinician, help in the library, and help with our parks," Councilor Paul Murphy said. "This is a huge accomplishment if we can put this to the voters to decide how this can go forward."
The override would cost the average Bridgewater homeowner approximately $926.63 per year, based on the average single-family home value of $593,000.
School Committee Chairman Tim Fitzgibbons urged the council to approve the school funding portion of the override, noting that without adequate funding, the district would face significant staffing cuts.
"What's affordable is going to result in at least 80 positions being let go from Bridgewater-Raynham," Fitzgibbons said. "I can't see any way clear if this override were to pass, and I hope it does, for the sake of the school(s), for the sake of the town, for the sake of all of our constituents, is I can't see any way clear not to commit to having a 3 percent per year increase in expenses overall."
Several councilors expressed concerns about what they perceived to be the lack of detailed budget information from the school district. Councilor Mary McGrath questioned why the council couldn't see a more detailed breakdown of the school budget.
The road repair portion of the override was reduced from an initially proposed $2 million to $500,000 after discussion. Interim Town Manager Blythe Robinson noted that the town needs approximately $50 million to address all road repairs.
"Communities I find have seen in the past that have the most success in road maintenance prescribed to dedicating themselves to putting aside a certain amount of money each year to address it," Robinson said. "Having the discipline to put some number in, whether it's $500 [thousand] or something else, to say we're making a stand and we're going to move forward while we sort through the more challenging process of catching up on all those other roads."
The council also approved funding to restore budget cuts that would have eliminated positions including a firefighter, police cadet, and other town staff. The final component adds new positions including four firefighters, two police officers, a mental health clinician/social worker, library assistant, and park steward.
Councilor Johnny Loreti expressed reservations about the override, saying he wanted more information about long-term sustainability.
"While I think this is a good step in the right direction, for me, before I put this forward to the voters, I want to see a long-term sustainability plan," Loreti said.
Council President Kevin Perry defended the override amount, noting that Bridgewater operates with a significantly smaller budget than comparable towns.
"Towns of similar size to Bridgewater are currently, population-wise, for instance, Wakefield has a $125 million budget. Stoughton has a $139 million budget," Perry said. "We're operating at $80 million right now for the same basic population that those other towns have."
The town will create a website with information about the override, including a tax calculator to help residents understand the impact on their property taxes.
"Our first step is going to be to not only put a tax calculator on the website, but also build a page that explains what all the parts are and what the result would be so that people at least know what they're voting on," Robinson said.
The council voted to present the override as a single question rather than separate items. The special election will be held in June, with the exact date to be determined.
The town election is scheduled for this Saturday, April 26, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bridgewater Middle School, with three council seats up for election.
Read more about Town Council candidates’ positions on issues including downtown revitalization, the school budget and override, water quality and the Community Preservation Act.Â
Also see our article on the candidates for B-R School Committee. Â
Complete coverage of School Committee, Town Council and Raynham Selectmen discussion on the school budget and override can be found here.
This is an AI generated article. Please email bridgewaterraynhamnews@gmail.com with any accuracy concerns.
Watch the complete Town Council Meeting courtesy of the Town of Bridgewater.