Latest news with #TownElection
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Only 4.2% of Ashland's registered voters cast ballots May 20. This may be why
Incumbent Select Board members Joe Magnani and Brandi Kinsman held off a challenge from Carlton Phelps in the only formally contested race in the May 20 Ashland Town Election. Only 548 — 4.2% — of the town's 13,054 registered voters came out to cast ballots on Tuesday. In the Select Board race, Kinsman, the current vice chair, earned another three-year term by topping the ticket with 407 votes, with Magnani collecting 345. Phelps, who also unsuccessfully challenged state Rep. Jack Lewis, D-Framingham, in the state Democratic Primary last fall, got 221 votes. A second contested race materialized in the form of two write-in candidates for a two-year seat on the Planning Board. In that race, Scott Pelletier earned 125 votes, defeating Sambasiva Pemmaraju (87 votes). Those winning uncontested races include the following: Assessor (three years, one seat): Samuel Thomas Murphy, 461; Board of Health (one seat, three years): John Byrnes (incumbent), 460; Board of Health (one seat, two years): Maurice Aaron Krasner, 444; Board of Library Trustees (three years, one seat): Bonnie Mitchell (incumbent), 475; Moderator (three years, one seat): Adam Bennett Shuster (incumbent), 446; Planning Board (five years, one seat): Camilo Espitia, 416; School Committee (three years, two seats): Marcy Diane Culverwell (incumbent), 451; Paul Kendall (incumbent), 410. There were no ballot questions. All results are unofficial until certified by the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office. This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Ashland incumbent Select Board members keep seats in town election
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Winchendon annual Town Election had two override questions: Here's how residents voted
The $1.9 million override in Winchendon was approved by 12 votes during the May 5 annual Town Election. It was a close count with 896 votes for "yes" on Ballot Question 1 and 884 votes for "no." Two ballot questions appeared in this year's Winchendon annual Town Election asking voters to approve either a $1.9 million override or a $2.9 million override. While Ballot Question 1 passed, Ballot Question 2, which asked voters if they approved the $2.9 million override, failed by a significant margin. Only 645 voters voted "yes," and 1,105 voters voted "no." This year, 1,749 Winchendon voters cast their ballot at the polls. Three town departments may be saved from closure If voters did not pass either of the override ballot questions, Beals Memorial Library, the Parks and Recreation Department, and the Senior Center would be eliminated from the town's FY26 operating budget. Other town departments, including the Police and Fire departments, would have faced major cutbacks, which could cause problems with effective service delivery. What's next for Winchendon voters? Now that the $1.9 million override ballot question has passed at the ballot box, Winchendon voters must also pass it at annual Town Meeting on Monday, May 19. This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Winchendon voters approve $1.9 million override at Town Election
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
It's annual town election season: The dates to know in greater Gardner
Annual town elections are right around the corner. Voters in the communities surrounding Gardner will be heading to the polls to decide everything from open school committee and select board seats to Fiscal Year 26 budget override ballot questions. Voters in Ashburnham and Westminster will head to the polls on Tuesday, April 29. Winchendon residents will cast their ballots on Monday, May 5, while voters in Templeton and Phillipston will head to the polls on Monday, May 19. Residents in Hubbardston will cast their ballots on Tuesday, June 10. Below is a list of polling places and locations, voting hours, deadlines to register to vote, and which open seats will be decided in each town's election. More: What to know about your town's annual meeting, plus the deadline to register to vote Voters in Ashburnham will head to the polls for their annual Town Election on Tuesday, April 29. Residents can cast their ballots at the J.R. Briggs Elementary School gymnasium at 96 Williams Rd. between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. The last day to register for the election is Saturday, April 19. Registration forms are available at Town Hall and will be available at the Safety Building from Thursday, April 17 until Saturday, April 19. There is no early voting or mail-in voting, but absentee voting is available. Voters will be asked to decide the following open positions on the ballot: Moderator – one one-year term. Select Board – one three-year term. Planning Board – one three-year term and one one-year term. Board of Health – two three-year terms and one one-year term. Library Trustee – two three-year terms. Municipal Light Board – one three-year term. Regional School Committee Ashburnham Members – two three-year terms. Regional School Committee Westminster Members – two three-year terms. Hubbardston's annual Town Election will be held on Tuesday, June 10. Polls at the Hubbardston Center School gymnasium at 8 Elm St. will remain open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. The last day to obtain nomination papers from the Town Clerk's office is Tuesday, April 22. Nomination papers may be picked up at the Town Clerk's office at 48 Gardner Rd. during regular business hours – Mondays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Tuesday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. A minimum of 23 signatures of registered voters in Hubbardston is required. Papers must be returned by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22. The last day to register to vote in the Annual Town Election is Saturday, May 31. The Town Clerk's office will remain open from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on that day. More: The future of historic Hubbardston church building in the hands of voters: What to know Voters will be asked to decide the 19 open positions on the ballot: Moderator – one three-year term. Select Board – two three-year terms. Board of Assessors – one three-year term. Board of Library Trustees – two three-year terms, one one-year term. Cemetery Commission – one three-year term. Planning Board – one five-year term. Finance Committee – one three-year term, one two-year term, and one one-year term. Board of Health – one three-year term, one two-year term, and one one-year term. Quabbin Regional School Committee – one three-year term. Board of Parks Commissioners – one three-year term, one two-year term, and one one-year term. Voters in Phillipston will head to the polls in the upstairs assembly room at the Town Hall at 50 The Common on Monday, May 19. Voting hours are from noon until 8:00 p.m. Voters will be asked to decide the following open positions: Select Board – one three-year term. Assessor – one three-year term. Board of Health – one three-year term. Cemetery Commission – one three-year term and one one-year term. Constable – one three-year term. Library Trustee – one three-year term. Planning Board – one five-year term. Narragansett Regional School Committee Phillipston – one three-year term and one two-year term. Narragansett Regional School Committee Templeton – one three-year term and one one-year term. Voters in Templeton will head to the polls for the Annual Town Election on Monday, May 19. Residents can cast their ballots at Narragansett Regional High School on Baldwinville Rd. from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Voters will be asked to decide the following open positions: Board of Assessors - one three-year term. Community Preservation - one three-year term. Planning Board - one three-year term and one one-year unexpired term. Westminster's Annual Town Election will be held on Tuesday, April 29. Residents can cast their ballots at the Westminster Senior/Community Center at 69 West Main St. from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The last day for voter registration is Friday, April 18. The Town Hall will be closed but forms will be available at the Westminster Police Department dispatch center until 5:00 p.m., or residents may register to vote online at until 11:59 p.m. Mail-in voting is available for the Annual Town Election, with vote-by-mail applications available at the town's website. Applications should be returned to the Town Clerk's office, which will then mail out the ballots. The last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Tuesday, April 23. The last day to request an absentee ballot is Monday, April 28, until noon. Voters will be asked to decide the following open positions: Select Board – one three-year term. Board of Health – one three-year term and one one-year term. Board of Assessors – one three-year term. Library Trustee – two three-year terms. Hager Park Commission – one three-year term. Planning Board – two three-year terms. Housing Authority – one five-year term. Constable – one three-year term. Cemetery Commission – one three-year term. Regional School Committee Westminster Member – one three-year term. Regional School Committee Ashburnham Member – two three-year terms. The Toy Town's Annual Town Election will be held on Monday, May 5. Residents will cast their ballots at the Murdock Senior Center at 52 Murdock Ave between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. The last day to register to vote is Tuesday, April 29, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Voters will be asked to decide the following open positions: Moderator – one three-year term. Board of Selectmen – two three-year terms. School Committee – one three-year term and one one-year unexpired term. Board of Health – one three-year term. Toy Town voters will also be asked to decide two ballot questions concerning the town's Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which officials said is facing a significant deficit resulting from the rising costs of town operations, limited revenue growth, and the expiration of federal aid that local communities received in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The town used one-time federal and local reserve funds of over $700,000 in FY25 to bridge the gap between its revenue and expenditures. In order to build in greater sustainability into its budget, officials said the town must either reduce services to balance the FY26 budget or raise recurring revenue through an override to maintain service operations. Residents will be asked to vote on two separate operational override ballot questions, one for $1.9 million and one for $2.9 million. If both pass, the higher amount becomes available, not the sum of the two, according to officials. If approved by voters, residents will be asked at the Annual Town Meeting on May 19 to appropriate the additional funding to the FY26 budget. This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Key dates for annual town elections in Gardner area towns
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hudson Town Election to have override question: What money will pay for, plus tax impact
HUDSON — Town residents are set to vote on a nearly $4 million override in this year's Town Election after the Select Board voted to put the matter on the ballot. The Hudson Select Board approved a ballot question asking voters for a $3.95 million override to balance the budget. Residents will vote on the budget and the ballot question at the town's May Annual Election. Asked to comment, Hudson Executive Assistant Thomas Gregory directed the Daily News to a document that explains that the override is needed to plug the budget, which was balanced by one-time funds and the costs continuing to outpace revenues. More: Hudson Police Department to host 10-week Citizen Police Academy starting March 11 "The Town of Hudson and the Hudson Public School budgets each have structural deficits as eachrely on one-time funds to balance the budget as opposed to solely relying on recurring revenuestreams," the document reads. "In the post-pandemic economic environment, significant increases have been incurred in health insurance and general insurance premiums, utility expenses, and the costs of goods and services." The document continues stating that without an override the deficits will grow and service cuts will be required. One local group, Together for Hudson, is campaigning in favor of the override. Tara Sagor, a member of Together for Hudson, explained that Hudson Public Schools is already losing 12 full-time positions next school year, along with two school buses being removed from the district's fleet. If approved, the override would increase property tax bills beginning July 1, the start of fiscal year 2026. If approved, the override would have an average increase of about $481 on top of the average $8,141 property tax bill. That's based on the average single-home value in Hudson $586,519. The increase varies based on how much a home is assessed. 'But if it does not pass, we're going to have to cut 55 additional positions,' Sagor told the Daily News. "We're talking about reductions in core instructional staff and also the non-mandated staff which will impact the fine arts, specialist instructional coaches, nursing staff, and administrations in the building. It's absolutely devastating." State law limits the total amount of property taxes that a city or town can assess each year. The total amount collected cannot increase by more than 2.5% annually, plus the impact of any new growth. However, residents can agree to "override" this limit by majority vote. The override enables a community to permanently increase its levy limit. More: 'Times are not the best.' Natick voters must decide on $7M override at town election Overrides are not uncommon in Massachusetts. In 2023, Hopedale voters approved a $1.35 million override to avoid the closure of the town's library and senior center. Last June, Bellingham voters passed a $750,000 override to pay for the hiring of six additional paramedics for its fire department. Along with Hudson, Natick is set to vote on an override this year, albeit larger. Natick voters are set to decide the fate of a $7 million override this month. For Hudson's override to take effect on July 1, the budget with the override (Budget B) must first be approved at Town Meeting in May. Then, a majority of voters will need to approve the budget at the May 12 Town Election. If the ballot question fails, Budget A, which is the town's budget without the override, will take effect on July 1. Hudson Town Meeting is scheduled for May 5 and is an open Town Meeting, which means all registered voters can attend and on warrant questions. A week later is the town's Annual Election. This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Hudson Town Election to have override question: What money will fund
