Information on the Override Vote

The PTO encourages you to learn more about the City Override Vote scheduled for March 14. We are sharing resources and information to keep our community informed about what the override vote is, what it means if it passes, and if it doesn’t. 

The School Committee meeting on January 23rd (6pm via Zoom) will outline two NPS budgets for next year: One that includes the $4.5M (if the override passes) and one without that $4.5M of funding.

What is an Override?  Massachusetts has a limit on the revenue a municipality can raise from property taxes.  Towns can only exceed this limit if a majority of the voters agree to “override” the limit.

Question 1 is an operating override. The money goes into the City’s operating budget. The tax increase would start on July 1, 2023. Funds will go to:

      • Newton Public School student needs ($4.5M)
      • Street and sidewalk paving ($1.4M)
      • Tree planting and care ($500K)
      • Parks, fields, and playgrounds ($1M)
      • Improvements to Horace Mann ($775K)
      • Sustainability and climate resiliency ($500K)
      • Senior Services and Programming ($500K).

Funds are only required to be put into the named categories for the first year. However, the City Council will hold current administration and future Mayors accountable to allocate money as presented through the annual budget approval process.

Questions 2 and 3 are debt exclusion overrides. The tax increase would pay for the debt on the bonds for the school construction for Countryside and Franklin Elementary Schools. The increase would last until the bonds are paid off (30 years). If question 2 does not pass, Countryside also loses the $20MM granted by the state from being deemed one of the 15 worst in Massachusetts.

The full override proposal is on the City’s website. See how much your taxes would increase here (if the override passes). Newton’s last override was in 2013 and paid for the Newton Centre fire station, as well as Cabot, Zervas, and Angier Elementary Schools. Nearby towns have had many more overrides (since 2000: Newton: 1; Brookline: 5; Lexington: 9; Needham: 11; Wellesley: 14).

Find more information about the override from these sources: