Arlington Select Board Eyes March Override Vote as $3.7 Million Deficit Looms

ARLINGTON -- January 12, 2026, Arlington Select Board moves toward a March 28 override vote as fiscal year 2027 deficit stands at $3.7 million. Town Manager James Feeney presented a long-range financial update Monday showing the projected FY27 gap has fallen from a high of $13.5 million last April but remains driven by a $3.4 million health insurance overage, premiums now projected at $29.1 million against a 2023 estimate of $25.7 million, and solid waste costs running nearly $1 million above the amount budgeted in the last override. Board member Steve DeCourcy said the override, if approved, would cover fiscal years 2027 through 2029, with the board set to vote commitments on February 9 after the governor's budget drops January 28. Even in an override-pass scenario, the school department is planning roughly $1 million in service reductions and a town-wide hiring freeze remains in effect. The board also unanimously approved 25-mile-per-hour thickly settled district signage along approximately 1.7 miles of Massachusetts Avenue, completing a multi-year traffic safety campaign that has now covered more than 11 percent of town roads, and voted 5-0 to enter executive session on an open meeting law complaint filed by Paul Pandolfo.