Invest in Brookline's future: Vote YES for the Override
In Spring 2026, Brookline voters will be asked to vote for property tax override to maintain level funding for our schools and municipal services for the next three years.
Brookline for Everyone urges Town voters to vote “YES” on the $23,250,000 operating override on the May 5 election ballot. Yes, that’s a big number. But that’s the amount we need to raise over the next three years to maintain level funding for the schools and public services we all expect from our town.
Brookline's Path to Irrelevance: Voting “No” would result in devastating cuts to public safety, infrastructure, and community services, and to Brookline's schools, including dozens of teacher layoffs.
Currently, many Massachusetts municipalities face structural operating deficits because expenses, primarily health insurance costs, have grown at a much greater rate than the state-imposed 2.5% annual limit on tax increases. For communities like Brookline without a large commercial tax base residents will be asked to approve more in overrides. However, this year’s proposed override, while large, will be a smaller percentage of Brookline’s overall budget than overrides proposed by many other municipalities.
Yes for Brookline 2026 has detailed FAQs about the override, and why we need to pass one this year. They include a tax increase calculator for every residence here.
Tax overrides can be reduced by new tax growth from mixed use development to fund operating deficits. We are encouraged that this spring’s report from the Expenditures and Revenue Study Committee recommends that the Select Board provide economic development leadership to implement zoning changes now that an updated Comprehensive Plan is nearing completion. Despite that recommendation, we are disappointed to note that even with the override, this year’s budget actually cuts economic development staff.
An important step to substantially increasing Town revenue will be the Chestnut Hill Commercial Area rezoning warrant articles for mixed use development (both commercial and housing) to be voted on in May’s Town Meeting. Brookline for Everyone supports voting YES on this long overdue reform, one that was prioritized 20 years ago in the Town’s 2005 Comprehensive Plan, and again in the Housing Production Plan approved in 2024.
Brookline for Everyone endorses candidates who will provide the leadership that ensures both prudent management and new tax growth, reducing future overrides to take financial pressure off renters as well as homeowners.
For Select Board: Amanda Zimmerman and Anthony Buono
For Town Meeting: see our Endorsement Page for candidates in your precint
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