SUNDERLAND — School officials say budget cuts are on the horizon after a Proposition 2½ override ballot question failed to pass at Saturday’s annual town election.
The failed ballot question follows the annual Town Meeting last week where voters approved a $7,578,569 budget pending Saturday’s decision.
“The turnout was disappointingly low,” School Committee Chairman Douglas Fulton said.
Information from the town clerk showed 22.31 percent of the town’s 2,317 voters cast ballots during the election. The vote on the override was 277 against to 235 in favor.
If the override had passed, tax rates would have gone up 86 cents from $14.34 to $15.20, expanding the town’s tax base by $300,000 per year in anticipation of rising school expenses and declining rainy day funds.
Now, town officials must find a way to bridge a $50,000 revenue gap in this year’s budget and plan for potentially bigger cuts next year.
“This year, we may not feel the full brunt because of favorable one-time free cash. But we knew it was coming next year,” Fulton said, noting it’s “extremely unlikely” the town will have the same amount of “free cash” in coming years.
“Out of the gate next year we have $75,000 to $100,000 less available to us on the revenue side,” Fulton said. “In a $2.5 million budget, that’s 4 percent before any cost increases just in terms of revenue shortfall.”
That projected deficiency in the school’s budget is because rising costs have drained rainy day funds. “We’re spending away surplus. We’ll take in about $350,000 from School Choice funds, we’re spending about $425,000,” Fulton continued.
Fulton said he remembered another failed override vote in 2009 which resulted in drastic school cuts.
“We had cuts across the board: teachers, assistants, specials. The town fundraised to keep part-time art and music in the school. It was literally fundraisers,” he said.
No one from the Select Board, which will meet Monday evening, was immediately available to comment on the election results.