Hanson Select Board Puts $3 Million Override Question Before Town Meeting Voters

HANSON — March 25, 2025 — Hanson Select Board unanimously placed a $3 million Proposition 2½ override on the May town meeting ballot and voted to demand the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District reduce its budget assessment. Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett led the board in rejecting a split question — one for schools, one for town operations — citing Finance Committee guidance and the risk of recreating last year's two-town coordination failure; Whitman is separately pursuing a single combined override of approximately $2.3 million. Town Accountant Eric Kinsella told the board that if the override fails, the school assessment must drop by $940,000, with proportional town-side cuts on top of that. The override breaks down as $1,477,627 for the school assessment, $344,000 for four additional firefighters, and $1,178,373 for town operations. The board also closed both the May annual and special town meeting warrants and accepted two anonymous AEDs valued at roughly $2,000 each for the fire department.