WORTHINGTON — In the words of Select Board Chair Charlie Rose, annual Town Meeting this month went “surprisingly well,” despite a looming deficit that may require a Proposition 2½ override request in the near future.

When the town presented a $6 million budget for fiscal 2026, up 12% from last year, residents only voted to reject two out of 32 articles — a pair of financial articles that sought funding for capital items for the Fire Department out of the town’s stabilization funds.

Voters turned down Article 17, which asked for $65,000 to repair and upgrade the Fire Department parking lot, and Article 18, which sought more than $86,000 to purchase a Ford F-150 Fire Department Incident Command Vehicle to replace the current 2007 Silverado 2500 Truck.

Some residents during the meeting noted that together these expenses total some $151,000, which exceeds the more than the $120,000 deficit the town has been wrangling with for months.

In past years, including fiscal year 2025, funds have been drawn from stabilization accounts to make up for deficits and to avoid the need for an override.

A decision on how to plug the gap this year has yet to be made. The Select Board will soon discuss one of two courses of action, Rose said.

One would involve floating a Proposition 2½ override at a special election, at which residents would be able to cast a private ballot on raising their property taxes beyond the limit set by the state.

Rose said that it is possible for the board to present the override vote on a repeated basis if it fails, as there are no limits on how many votes can be taken.

The other would involve scheduling a special Town Meeting to ask voters to transfer money from stabilization, or rainy day, funds to cover the deficit. Last year, residents chose the latter option in a vote.

Rose said $120,000 is the current deficit, but that the figure could to rise or fall depending on totals for free cash and tax receipts.

During the meeting Rose also explained that Worthington isn’t alone in facing an override, with some two-thirds of the state being faced with deficits for the coming fiscal year. He also explained that inflation has caused expenses to bubble over the state’s levy limit.

At the end of Town Meeting on June 7, Bart Niswonger, chair of the Planning Board, also brought forward findings to make the case for zoning laws changes, after a regulation about frontage was brought up for discussion three years ago.

Currently, Worthington requires 400 feet of frontage between a building and a road, and conversations will continue on the topic of changing the requirement to 200 feet.

Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com.