Lunenburg Voters Pass $49.9 Million Budget, Put Two Override Tiers on Ballot

LUNENBURG -- May 2, 2026, Lunenburg Annual Town Meeting approves $49.9 million FY2027 budget and sends two Proposition 2½ override questions to voters. The budget, which passed 340-68 with Select Board support at 5-0 and Finance Committee backing at 4-1-1, includes a new fourth fire shift extending professional coverage to 24 hours a day and a new assistant town manager position at $120,000, offset by cuts to elementary teachers, the town beach, the young adult librarian, and parks programming. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jody Fortuna warned that second-grade class sizes could reach 30 students under the balanced scenario and that the school's accrediting agency has flagged concern about program cuts ahead of a required six-year review. Town Meeting then voted 331-105 to place a $2.4 million Tier 1 override and 302-122 to place a $3.3 million Tier 2 override on the ballot; both are contingent appropriations that take effect only if voters approve the corresponding questions. The average single-family home, assessed at $517,296, faces an estimated $506.95 annual increase under Tier 1 or $689.35 under Tier 2.