ORANGE — Annual Town Meeting voters on Tuesday must decide how to balance the budget after rejecting a Proposition 2½ override at the polls on Monday.

State law requires voter approval before a municipality can increase its property tax levy by more than 2.5%, and residents shot down a hike that would have generated an additional $1.4 million to fund town services. The 721 “no” votes more than doubled the 352 affirmative votes.

Moderator Steven Garrity decided at the June 16 Annual Town Meeting to withhold a vote on the town’s fiscal year 2026 budget until the day after the Proposition 2½ override vote. A few other articles were also postponed at Finance Committee member Kathy Reinig’s recommendation and voters will have their say inside Ralph C. Mahar Regional School’s Kermit Cook Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The scheduled continuation of Annual Town Meeting has been moved from Orange Town Hall due to the intense heat and humidity forecasted.

The Orange Selectboard developed a budget consisting of 15% cuts across the board and these figures will be presented at the continuation.

Among potential cuts shared by department heads during a June 18 Selectboard meeting are the elimination of the Police Department’s overnight shift and layoffs for five police officers; layoffs for three firefighters and an inability for Orange Fire Rescue EMS to staff two ambulances; the elimination or significant reduction of the building inspector’s administrative assistant and a reduction to the electrical inspector’s role; and the loss of the Council on Aging’s administrative assistant.

According to figures from Town Clerk Nancy Blackmer, 1,074 of the town’s 6,575 registered voters showed up to the polls on Monday, making for a 16.3% turnout.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.