Westborough approves FY25 budget after debate over tax relief and line-item cuts

Westborough voters approved the town'and school budgets for fiscal year 2025 after several hours of presentations, amendments and line-by-line voting at the annual town meeting on March 23. Advisory Finance Committee chair Walter Leslie presented the AFC'recommended budget and said the estimated effect on an average single-family home was $835, or about 7.15 percent, driven largely by school spending, debt service and insurance costs.

A motion from two residents to increase the free-cash transfer meant to lower the tax rate from $450,000 to $1.2 million prompted extended debate. Proponents argued the larger transfer would reduce the average tax bill more deeply and could be accomplished by deferring some free-cash capital items. The Select Board and the AFC opposed the amendment, urging adherence to the town's fiscal policies to protect reserve levels and the town's strong bond rating. The amendment was defeated 115-251 on the floor.

After that decision, the meeting proceeded through a series of scheduled votes, taking questions on targeted line items (including information technology, police and DPW salaries, sanitary landfill contracts and stormwater). The moderator grouped unquestioned items and carried them in a single vote (299-72). Contested line items were taken up individually; most original AFC-recommended numbers carried after discussion and votes. Voters approved the main FY25 motion and the package of line items necessary to adopt the budget totals and related transfers.

The town manager, Christy Williams, highlighted that a portion of the planned mitigation for the tax increase came from the use of free cash and retention of a strong reserve to maintain a favorable credit rating. She noted the town planned to rely on scheduled reimbursements and savings where possible but warned that structural pressures such as rising personnel costs and changes in state reimbursements remain significant.

Next steps: department-specific questions that were recorded during reading of the line items will be addressed in subsequent committee meetings as needed; the budget becomes effective for FY25 starting July 1, 2024.