Select Board Votes 4-1 for $6.5M Override

Select Board · Meeting of July 28, 2026

Reading's Select Board voted 4-1 to put a single $6.5 million override question on the November 2026 ballot. Town Manager Jayne Wellman told the board the town faces a $6.5 million structural deficit this year, growing to $9.8 million next year, and that failing to pass an override would cost the equivalent of 67 town and school positions and over $900,000 from the school budget. Vice Chair Karen Rose-Gillis cast the dissenting vote, saying she wanted a second, higher question on the ballot.

Member Christopher Haley disputed media reports on the committees' recommendations, saying "the finance committee approved seven and nine-point-eight million, not six and a half." A phased $6.5 million plan would raise the average $944,000 home's tax bill by $566.52 in year one and about $170 in year two, per a packet slide presented by Finance Director Sharon Engstrom.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,362 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.