PHILLIPSTON — Voters on Wednesday approved using $194,395 from the town’s stabilization account to fund its portion of the Narragansett Regional School District budget.
Eighty-three voters showed up at the gymnasium at the Phillipston Memorial Building, formerly the Phillipston Memorial Elementary School, to determine how best to come up with the cash.
The warrant consisted of two articles, each offering a different way to meet the town’s obligation. The unsuccessful Article 1 asked for approval of a Proposition 2½ override to raise the money through taxation, while the successful Article 2 proposed the transfer of funds from stabilization.
“Just so everybody remembers how we got here,” Finance Committee member Ruth French said prior to discussion on Article 1, “there was a two-town meeting between Templeton and Phillipston and the Narragansett budget was set then. So, we are required to somehow come up with this $194,395.”
At the district meeting held Aug. 3, voters from both towns narrowly approved a nearly $27 million school district budget. That amount required Phillipston to supplement the $2.1 million voters had approved for school spending at Annual Town Meeting on May 6. Templeton’s share of the district budget is approximately $9.9 million.
As debate on Article 1 began, Finance Committee member Earl Sweat responded to resident Susan Larrabee’s question about the potential impact on the town’s tax rate.
“The impact would be 45 cents per $1,000 of assessed value of the home. In Phillipston currently, the average home is about $442,000 going into FY27. That’s roughly a $200 increase on top of the 2 ½% increase that will be coming,” Sweat said.
The FY26 tax rate for Phillipston was $10.95 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation.
With little further discussion, Town Moderator Jared McDonald-Bourbeau called for a voice vote. When it was unclear which side held the majority, voters called for a ballot vote. Once the votes had been collected and counted, the article failed with 51 people opposed to the measure and 31 in favor of it.
“We’re going to use about a sixth of our stabilization to fund this, if it passes,” French told voters, leading off discussion on Article 2. “Just keep that in mind, because we’re going to start next year almost $200,000 short. So, don’t be surprised if we ask for an override next year if this article passes.”
In response to a question, Sweat explained that Phillipston’s stabilization fund contained $1,288,225, “so we’d be left with about $1.1 million, roughly.”
Highway Superintendent Rick Tenney said that “(if) we’re taking this out of the stabilization fund, when next year comes around, we will be making this up, plus next year’s increases. So, we’re just kicking this can down the road.”
One voter asked about the repercussions of potentially voting “No” on the article.
“Well,” said French, “I guess if we vote ‘no’ then the Select Board and the Finance Committee will have to sharpen their pencils and find another way to cut another $194,395 out of our budget, which would be a travesty for so many departments.”
“If this doesn’t pass,” Select Board chair Bernie Malouin explained, “then we’re looking at cuts in every department: the police, the fire, the DPW, and probably other areas. We’ve made some great strides with employees of Phillipston. I feel bad if we don’t support them and keep this moving.”
Malouin absolved the town’s administration of any responsibility for the town’s financial fix.
“This isn’t something that the administrative staff of Phillipston has caused,” he said. “This is strictly caused by the schools looking for a 13½%, 14% increase, and we can only increase our taxes by 2½%. That’s what the problem is. We are looking into some ways we can try to remediate this next year. I’m not sure how that’s going to happen.
“But right now, tonight,” he continued, “the Select Board would have to go back with the Finance Committee and start dismantling employment in the town of Phillipston.”
Malouin said he and his fellow board members “recommend that you pass this so we can keep the services level, just keep them level. And we’re going to work on this to see what we can do next year.”