WENDELL — The 117 voters who convened at Town Hall Wednesday night passed a Proposition 2½ override, marking the first time the town has approved an override in two decades.

State law requires voter approval before a municipality can increase its property tax levy by more than 2.5%. As part of Article 4, Annual Town Meeting voters approved a total fiscal year 2026 budget of $4.08 million, should the override pass at a subsequent town election. However, if the override does not get approval at the ballot box, the budget would be nearly $3.95 million.

These budget numbers were amended on the Town Meeting floor to correct an inaccurate Franklin County Technical School assessment number and to increase the library books budget line item.

Prior to the vote on these two budgets in Article 4, the Finance Committee gave a presentation on the Proposition 2½ override, and how it would impact the town’s residents and their services.

“Why do we need an override now?” Finance Committee Chair Meagan Sylvia said. “Simply put, the cost of providing basic services … has been rising faster than the amount we’re allowed to collect through property taxes under the levy limit.”

Sylvia spoke to the issues the town would face if an override is not approved, including delayed municipal services from limited funding.

Sylvia said if the override budget fails during the election, the non-override budget is in place to make sure the town has money to continue its operations. The non-override budget of $3.95 million is within the levy limit.

Additionally, the request to funnel $40,250 to the Stabilization Fund in Article 19 passed unanimously. This amount is contingent on the passage of the override during a town election. Without the override, the Stabilization Fund would sit at $373,312, whereas the override passage’s would put the account at $413,562.

“Our Stabilization Fund has been trending downward,” Sylvia explained. “If we don’t begin reversing that trend, we risk being unprepared for the kinds of unexpected expenses that can quickly disrupt a small town’s budget.”

This adopted override includes a $2.53 million education budget that is 0.92% higher than the current fiscal year. The sharpest increase under education is $46,432 for transportation to Ralph C. Mahar Regional School and its assessment. Transportation costs to Swift River School go up $24,091 to $254,376.

Throughout the process of voting on the two budgets, an amendment to the override budget to increase the library books line item from $2,500 to $5,000. The proposal came from Raymond DiDonato, who cited the importance of the library and its services. He feels they deserve to have more money to purchase books the community uses.

“Especially in these times with government funding going away from the arts, humanities, libraries, it’s very important, I think, to support this resource,” DiDonato said.

Although the budgets both passed by majority, some voters raised concerns about the impact to residents and their property taxes. The estimated increase to the property tax for a single-family home is $229 per year if the override is passed, compared to $175 per year without the override.

“I was told that we could be looking at a 20% increase next year if these overrides and everything keep going on,” Joe Diemand said regarding the increase in property taxes. “I’m not saying we don’t need it. I’m just saying we may not be able to afford it.”

Other key articles that were approved at Town Meeting included the purchase of a new tanker truck for the Wendell Fire Department for $525,000. Fire Chief Joe Cuneo explained the tanker is an important purchase for the town as it will be modernized with pumper capabilities and a modern transmission, making it a safer and more effective piece of equipment. The new vehicle will replace the town’s 1987 truck that has reached the end of its useful life. The article was approved, meeting a goal Cuneo said he had before retiring this month.

Of the 27 articles on the warrant, the only article that failed was Article 16, which sought to change the tree warden position from elected to appointed. Voters voiced a desire to have a say in who they have cutting down trees in Wendell, rather than have that person be chosen by the Selectboard. With the “no,” vote, the tree warden will remain an elected role in town.

The last article to spark prolonged discussion was a resolution about residents and visitors who are transgender, non-binary or gender diverse. Part of the resolution declared Wendell to be a sanctuary town for these populations, among a list of provisions. Residents were split on whether to approve, deny or pass over the article, and a motion to table the article was ultimately approved, given the desire of some residents to have a more prolonged discussion on the proposed resolution in a different forum.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.