WESTBOROUGH – A less-than-anticipated increase in state aid could be a factor in propelling an increase to the town’s average single-family property tax bill past $1,000.
According to the “cherry sheets” provided by the Office of the State Comptroller, Westborough’s total amount of aid, including Chapter 70, currently stands at $13,807,453 for the 2025 fiscal year — about $200,000 more than for the 2024 fiscal year.
However, according to the budget documents for the 2025 fiscal year, the town was anticipating a projected increase in state aid of $340,454 over 2024.
The “cherry sheet” amounts include Chapter 70 aid, hotels and meals taxes, reimbursement of school aid to cities and charter school reimbursements to cities.
In fiscal 2023, the most recent “full year,” the town received just over $18 million in state aid. This includes “cherry sheet” items, along with “non-cherry sheet” items such as payments for early voting, American Recovery Plan Act and the Winter Recovery Assistance Program.
Although it’s still early — the House of Representative won’t be debating the budget until April – town officials are already in contact with legislators to advocate for more state aid.
“Rep. [Kate] Donaghue and I work closely with Town Manager Kristi Williams to advocate for increases in local aid and education funding,” said state Rep. Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury). “As you know, this will be a difficult budget cycle due to tax revenue receipts not meeting projections, and with the increased costs to deal with the influx of migrants needing shelter.”
Williams has already factored the possible $151,000 difference into the tax bill.
In an update on the 2025 fiscal year budget presented to the Select Board on Tuesday, Feb. 13, Williams said the possible shortfall in Chapter 70 funds could lead to an additional tax increase for the average single-family tax bill of $18.90.
For the average single-family tax bill, the increase — slated at $957 at the budget summit on Jan. 25 — currently stands at $994.
Williams is asking for a transfer of $450,000 from free cash to help trim the tax increase. Without the transfer, the increase would be more than $1,000.
With less than one month before the annual Town Meeting, some of the gaps within the town’s fiscal 2025 budget remain to be filled, including the fire union contract and a new deal with Waste Management.
The town will also see an increase in its assessment for Assabet Valley Regional Vocational High School. The current estimated increase is 10.97%, or $123,305, over fiscal 2024. According to Assabet Superintendent Ernest Houle, the increase is due to nine more students from Westborough enrolling at the high school.
There will be a request in the warrant from Westborough Public Schools to replace the roof at Hastings Elementary School.
Also, the Westborough Public Library will seek $1.6 million toward its repair project.
Some items within the 2025 fiscal year budget have been trimmed, such as insurance (a savings of $20,000) and information technology (a savings of $19,500).
Williams said there could be an opportunity to ease the tax burden, and that is through the town’s debt budget. She said that when the town goes out to borrow in early March “that will give us an actual budget number for debt service rather than the estimate currently in the budget.”
The town is anticipating an interest rate of 5%; a lower interest rate will lower the number for debt service.
Williams and interim Finance Director Jon Steinberg will go before the Advisory Finance Committee on Feb. 29 to discuss the budget items on the Town Meeting warrant.
