Southborough Select Board sets two-budget plan for possible FY28 override

Select Board · Meeting of August 11, 2026

Southborough Select Board sets two-track FY28 budget plan amid possible override. Meeting jointly with the Advisory Committee, the board and Finance Director Brian Ballantine warned the town has just $700,000 in remaining tax levy capacity, prompting a plan to build both a "level service" budget and a flat, no-increase budget from every department, including the schools. Advisory Committee member Al Hamilton pushed for a hiring freeze, saying "some of the chickens have got to come home to roost." The board also voted unanimously to accept a $1 million interest-free MWRA loan for the Presidential Drive-Fisher Road water main project, adopted revised Transfer Station rules 5-0, approved a $24,650 government structure study 4-1, and voted 1-4 against opting out of a new state law allowing retail marijuana home delivery.

The meeting opened with tributes to retiring Town Clerk Jim Hegarty, who steps down September 30 after eleven years in office.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 5,039 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of August 11, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.