Bolton Approves $34.9M Budget After School Fight

Town Meeting · Meeting of May 4, 2026

Bolton Town Meeting approved a $34.9 million fiscal 2027 budget after sharp debate over school costs. Voters passed the spending plan by majority clicker vote, with the exact count not announced, following warnings from Advisory Committee Chair Robert Guerrero that the Neshoba Regional School District's 4.2 percent assessment increase, $792,000, "is just not sustainable in the long term." Select Board Chair Kate Bayouk said her earlier no vote on the recommendation was "a symbolic vote ... firing a warning shot across the bow," but she voted yes at the meeting. School Committee Chair Leah Viverito defended the budget and noted 90 Massachusetts communities are seeking overrides this year.

Town Meeting also approved $1.86 million in capital spending, including $125,000 for emergency engineering on a contaminated well serving the library and public safety building, and $75,000 to repair the Bower Brook dam.

In the full story:

• The Full Story
• Why It Matters
• Key Motions & Votes
• Source
• Bolton's community access TV: Town Meeting meeting, May 4, 2026
• The complete report: 1,230 words

Source: the Town Meeting meeting of May 4, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.