ATHOL – Town Manager Shaun Suhoski met with the Finance and Warrant Advisory Committee to explain the two Proposition 2 ½ override questions which will appear on the April 6 Town Election ballot.

One proposal calls for a $2.9 million override, the other seeks approval for an override of $1.8 million.

Suhoski presented the committee at its March 10 meeting with a proposed FY27 town budget of just over $29 million, while cautioning the final numbers could still change by the June Town Meeting.

“We have four of five collective bargaining agreements that expire on June 30,” he explained, “and we have eight of 13 non-union contracts that expire on June 30.”

Even though tentative agreements have been reached on three of the union contracts, he said, “The numbers you’re looking at are our best estimate. There are a couple of assumptions in these numbers. There’s an assumption on wages, although we hope the numbers here are what we hope are close to what will be ratified.”

Suhoski also explained the anticipated cost of employee health insurance is also based on the assumption the town will be paying about 15% more in FY27 than in the current fiscal year. Increases are also anticipated in retirement and other post-employment benefit costs.

The bottom line, said the town manager, is while the proposed budget of $29 million was constructed to provide level services for Athol residents and avoid potential layoffs, revenues projected to support that budget total just over $27.3 million, leaving an estimated $1.7 million deficit. Suhoski explained that an override of $1.8 will be needed to maintain all municipal services at their current level sand avoid cutting staff.

He added an override of that amount would likely carry the town through the next three years before either service cuts or another override must again be considered.

An override, Suhoski said, “is a permanent increase to the (property tax) levy. You feel the bump in the first year. If it passes, people will see it in their tax bills next January – it’ll be noticeable.”

Suhoski said a $2.9 million override, if passed, would maintain services and also provide the town with the ability to hire three or four new employees that the town manager believes are important. He said town is in need of a facilities manager to oversee all town-owned buildings, including Town Hall, the library, the police and fire stations and the wastewater treatment plant. Suhoski estimates the town has in excess of 75,000 square feet that should be overseen by someone with training in HVAC, electrical systems and plumbing.

The larger override would also cover the hiring of a technology director and a human resources (HR) director.

“We’re now using vendor services for IT,” he said, “which is fine for the four hours a week the vendor is here in town, but it’s not fine for the departments we have that are operating 24/7, like police, fire and DPW.”

Suhoski added that the HR field is quickly evolving.

“It’s not my specialty. We do try to keep up with everything; the Wage Equity Act, paid family medical leave act, but we need someone who specializes in all of that,” he said.

FWAC Chair Ken Duffy said the committee would not be making a recommendation on how voters should cast a ballot on either of the override questions.

“The election is coming before these overrides are considered by the Town Meeting, which is where we usually come in,” he said. “Had the Town Meeting come first, we would have had something to say.”

Depending on the action of voters on April 6, Duffy did say the FWAC could still make a recommendation on how voters at Town Meeting should act relative to either or both of the overrides should one or both pass at the annual Town Election. If both questions are defeated, he concluded, the committee’s opinion would be moot.