The proposed $11.5M override represents critical funding to avoid significant cuts to our schools and municipal services, as well as funding for essential and overdue capital repairs.  It also includes strategic investments for key town and school priority areas. These important and fiscally-responsible investments will ensure that our town continues to thrive, as well as help maintain our town's long-term financial stability. See below for more details about how the proposed override will help our town and all of our town's residents. 

​

What will the override cost me?

​​

Over the course of 4 years, the override will cost residents an additional $993 in taxes per $1 million in property value over the next two years (an anticipated $490 increase in taxes per $1 million in property value for fiscal year 2027, and an additional $500 increase in taxes per $1 million in property value for fiscal year 2028), after which the levy would grow at 2.5% per year in accordance with state law. The average home in Winchester is currently valued at approximately $1.45m and would see a two-year increase of $1,455. 

 

For more details, please see the Select Board's State of the Town and Override Report. 

 

 

What about homeowners who can't afford a higher tax bill?

​

A key part of the State of the Town’s work was to explore tools and programs to mitigate the impact of an increase in property tax on low-income households.
 

Under state law, towns can create and expand programs to provide targeted tax relief to low-income seniors and veterans. Communities can also create Residential Exemptions, which shifts a portion of the tax burden away from lower-valued properties. Taken together, these measures help balance fiscal responsibility with social fairness.

In preparation for the override, the Select Board worked with the Council on Aging and the Veterans Agent to improve programs focused on low-income seniors and veterans, including:
 

• Senior Tax Deferral Program - allows qualifying seniors to defer up to 100% of their taxes, with the balance to be settled when there is a property sale or an estate event

• Senior Circuit Breaker - allows seniors to claim exemption amounts

• Senior Volunteer Program - allows seniors to volunteer for town entities in exchange for property tax reductions

• Veteran Exemptions under the HERO Act

The Select Board has also conceptually agreed on the creation of a Residential Exemption program, which would allow the town to shift some of the property tax burden away from homes with values below the town’s median. This would be a way to mitigate the impact of an override on homes with valuations below a certain level, e.g., $800,000 or $1m.

You can find more details about the efforts the Select Board is making to minimize the impact to taxpayers here (please see the summary letter and slides 27-28).

It's also important to remember that local taxes help the most financially vulnerable residents of Winchester -- from students from families with lower incomes to seniors who rely on and enjoy programs through the Library, Council on Aging / Jenks, and the Recreation Department. 

​