WHITMAN – If the people don’t know what’s going to happen when they say no to an override, they’re going to say no.
High Street resident John Galvin argued at the Tuesday, April 15 Select Board meeting that the success or failure of the override question hinges on fully informing voters.
“It won’t be pretty when the override fails, but in my opinion, it will unless you get the information out there of what services might get affected and how bad it’s going to be,” Galvin said. “Because people are just going to say, ‘Oh, they say that every year. It’s never going to happen.”
This year, the board’s contingency budget doesn’t mean, as it has in the past, an alternate plan for expending revenue in the event the override question fails – it means how the financial pain will be felt by town employees in the form of job losses if that happens, and how the public could see the resulting loss of services. But specific jobs at risk have not been listed.
The budget was, in fact, the only item of business on the agenda.
All of them will result in a variety of reductions to the town’s current staffing levels.
“If the override does not pass, the only option to balance the budget and close the deficit for fiscal 2026 is to reduce staffing,” said Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter, who stressed that services would be reduced before the town resorted to that. Carter said she has considered several different Fiscal ’26 contingency scenarios over the past few weeks.
“At this time, all options are being considered, however, all of the options, of course, are less than ideal,” she said adding that the reductions will, in turn, impact the services residents of Whitman currently receive.
“Departmental budgets will be scaled back to a minimum level before staffing reductions are considered. It’s our intention to keep any reductions in staffing and reductions to services to a minimum level, however the town could be facing reductions of up to 14 positions across the various town departments.”
High Street resident John Galvin said, with Town Meeting in three weeks, the Select Board must decide as quickly as possible, the details of such reductions.
“The people need to know, the voters need to know, the taxpayers need to know,” he said. “What happens if we vote no? The department heads need to know, the personnel need to know.”
Select Board member Shawn Kain, who is a member of the budget working group, argued that, while on one hand it’s good to know what services could be potentially lost, but to be respectful to people he doesn’t believe in putting people’s professional fate public.
Kain said there could be a couple of different strategies with an override such as trying to get the most shock value.
“I don’t support that,” he said. “I think if we have to put together a contingency plan – and it’s going to be about 14 full-time employees – I think we try to do it in the least impactful way possible.”
Carter said there are different ways departments could feel the effects of budget cuts if the override fails, such as expense lines, where she has “pulled everything back before we take the last step to reduce staff.”
“You have tiny departments – Planning Board and Bylaw Study Committee, little departments like that that we can make any adjustments in – but all the major departments will have some reductions in expenses, of course, or in staffing.”
Kain noted that there has been some discussion online about the use of free cash.
“I feel like we have some use of free cash that’s in line with our financial policy, embedded in the budget – about $340,000 in free cash – and for me, I think those are acceptable uses, because it’s short-term use. It’s not paying for personnel and regular budgetary items,” he said. “I would not support the use of free cash beyond what we currently have in the budget. I will not.”
He said it’s not meant to be a shock or scare tactic.
Carter said she had talked with John Adams of the accounting department, who is a former financial director, on Tuesday, who stressed and she knows as well, that free cash is one-time money that should not be used for recurring expenses.
Even with the $2 million override, she said the town is looking at a deficit of $1.8 million in fiscal 2027 ($2.6 million without an override), and a $3.9 million deficit for 2028.
“One of the reasons that we’re in the situation we’re in this year is because we used free cash last year,” she said. “If we were ever to use a large amount of free cash this year … it’s not even a Band-Aid. It’s a bad fiscal move.”
Free cash is the number one funding source for capital needs and using it to balance the budget would deplete that source.
“If you just start going down that path, using free cash to close the budget … auditors would not look [favorably] on that,” she said. Rating agencies also take that into consideration when deciding the town’s bond rating and the town could be downgraded in the future, leading to higher rates if the town needs to borrow in the future.
The $340,000 Kain mentioned is intended to used toward the Plymouth County Pension liability, that is expected to be paid off in 2030. Once that is paid up it will free up quite a bit of money in Whitman’s budget annually, which she then would like to see diverted to the other post-employment benefits [OPEB] liability, currently $140,000 a year paid from meals tax revenues, and some could be used in the regular budget. The pay-off of both liabilities also factors into the town’s bond rating calculations.
Select Board member Justin Evans said that, if Town Meeting supports the Select Board budget May 5, they will be waiting for the override ballot question result on May 17.
“If it passes, we have a balanced budget,” he said. “If it doesn’t, we have to start looking at these scenarios. But the clock really starts when the School Committee has 30 days to reassess the towns because they now have a rejected regional school budget. I imagine they’d do it sooner.”
The town would have 45 days to call a special Town Meeting at that point.
“The same process works for [South Shore Tech] if all four towns that have overrides on the ballot that are [SST] members, fail to pass a [SST] budget, [they’ll] do the same thing,” he said. “I don’t want to get into specifics right now to scare departments, but I think only … draft cuts number three scenario is even workable as a town – as devastating as it would be to all of our departments.”
He made a motion to recommend that scenario going forward.
“I think we deserve to start preparing for the worst because, right now, an override’s probably 50-50 at best,” Evans said.
Vice Chair Dan Salvucci, who was directing the meeting in the absence of Chair Dr. Carl Kowalski, said he would prefer to wait for a full board to decide that.
Police Chief Timothy Hanlon and Fire Chief Timothy Clancy offered a glimpse of the effect cuts could have in their departments as about five public safety job losses are anticipated if the override fails.
“For public safety, we think worst-case scenario first,” Hanlon said. “That’s the bleak outlook that we have to face now.” He said his department hasn’t been level serviced since at least 2012.
“In 2017, the townspeople spoke to increase our staffing from the 1970s [levels],” Clancy said. “Now that we’re being faced with the challenge of decreasing that staffing, it’s super disheartening. … If we start losing people, we start losing ambulances. If we start losing ambulances, we start losing revenue. When does it stop? … I’ve sworn to protect this town and I have to have the people to do it.”
Kain noted that the schools have not outlined specifics of the job cuts they anticipate other than that they want to stay away from elementary grade cuts with “a little at the middle schools and high school.”
“They deliberately left out the details because right now, for one, there’s a lot to be considered,” he said. “We don’t know how to calculate what we’re going to be up against because we don’t know exactly what the number is. Period.”
On Wednesday, April 9, the School District had outlined the effect an override failure will have in the schools.

WHITMAN – Meeting on Monday night, the Select Board voted to place an override article on the Town Meeting warrant for a $2 million, one-year article.
Board member Shawn Kain had made a compromise motion first to support a $2 million override for one year that gained no support.
Member Justin Evans suggested a one-year override at $2.4 million, at which Chair Dr. Carl Kowalski passed the gavel to Vice Chair Dan Salvucci so he could second Evans’ motion. It received a deadlocked 2-2 vote with Kowalski and Evans voting yes and Salvucci and Kain voting no.
Kain restated his motion and, again, Kowalski passed the gavel to second it.
This time, the one-year $2 million override motion passed by a 3-1 vote, with only Salvucci voting no.
But they first had to clear up a resident’s issue with the meeting’s agenda.
Resident John Galvin had spoken during the public forum, objecting to what he called a decision “made behind closed doors” not to include the agenda item attendees and viewers “were expecting … discussing the difference” between a three-year and a one-year override.
Kowalski immediately countered Galvin’s assertions.
“I’ve got a long list of where you were off in your remarks,” Kowalski said. He countered that there was an agenda item for a budget update as well as Galvin’s concern that the override amounts would not be covered.
“What we plan to do tonight is to discuss whether the Select Board goes along with the one-year advice of the Finance Committee, or whether it changes it to three years. We haven’t had that discussion yet. That will happen tonight.”
But Galvin countered that all three options for a ballot article involved one-year overrides that would not solve Whitman’s fiscal dilemma.
“All three of those amounts do not get the job done,” he said.
“I totally agree with you, as far as that’s concerned,” Kowalski replied. “However, the [Select Board] was ready last week … and the Finance Committee went off after we had the joint meeting and they made their decision. We haven’t had a chance to discuss it as a board since that time.”
When the time to vote came, Kowalski said he was moved by Shawn [Kain] and Justin [Evans] in their advocating for a one-year override. He had favored three-years.
“I think that one-year is the way to go however, I’m really hoping that Shawn does some serious thinking right now about the $2.4 million,” he said. “That’s the only way we’re even going to come close to doing anything next year.”
He said he is also not convinced that the town would vote it down.
“I’ve seen the town be generous a lot over the course of my years here and I have faith in it,” Kowalski said.
Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter said the actual language and amount sought does not need to be printed exactly on the agenda to be discussed. The Select Board only needs to have the amount they do vote for to the Town Clerk by April 10.
Once the discussion turned to the meat of the issue – a one-year override, or two, or even three.
Carter said she felt the responsible thing to do would be to look at the numbers that I did fold into the override side and enter a figure that would carry the town for three years.
For example, entering a $1.7 million override, Whitman will have about $2,000 left over in town’s excess levy account this year, In 2027, the shortfall would be $895,000 short in 2028 of a little over $2 million.
She replied to Evans’ question that the numbers assume Town Meeting will support using Articles 19 and 20, to use free cash to pay the retirement assessment and OPEB.
Evans supported a $2.4 million override because he didn’t like assuming Town Meeting would back the use of free cash and he doesn’t expect the four union negotiations still have not concluded and he expressed concern that they all would be before Town Meeting.
“I’m a little concerned about the economic outlook next year,” Evans said. “It is still a one-year override, using the deficit we projected weeks ago.”
For a $2 million override, she based calculations on $302,000 in excess levy this year and be short $587,000 next year and $1.8 million short in 2028. Likewise, a $2.4 million override would be $702,000 in excess levy next year and short about $177,000 next year. And $1.7 million in 2028.
“I do understand the point of keeping it short as well, but the difference between a $1.7 million override and a $2.4 million override on the average home [$495,736.78] in fiscal 2025, is a difference of $10.87 a month or $130.44 a year. The increase in taxes is $316.76.
“I think it’s very important that, if we’re going to ask the people of the town to sacrifice, that we show them how we’ll sacrifice,” said Kain. “I don’t think it’s irresponsible to ask for a number that’s slightly less or less than what we need over the next three years. … In some sense, that’s kind of our skin in the game.”
He advocated that the smallest override in one year has the highest chance of passing.
“That, I’d be really grateful for, and the employees of the town would be really grateful for, and we can do a lot with that money,” Kain said. “I’d feel terrible to ask more and get nothing.”
Member Justin Evans said he’d been listening to the Finance Committee discourse on the night they addressed the merits of a one-year vs a three-year override.
“While I still feel a three-year is the one that makes the most sense financially,” Evans said noting that he appreciated their discussion. “A lot of it was around the practicality of explaining why this is the amount of … and manage that process in the next six weeks.
Evans expressed surprise that the FinCom was unanimous in their vote.
Salvucci, however was just as firm, strongly opposing any override.
“But, I agree [with] one year, the lowest amount [that] we can] get,” he said, arguing that with three-or evan two years, it just opens the doors for town department heads to not control their budgets.
“Whether it’s town budgets or school budgets, if you know exactly what you have to spend, it’s like a family – if you’ve got $100 and you all go out to eat, you don’t go out an buy a $300 meal. You know what you have to spend. … It gets them to do their budgets based on what they need and not what they want. Call me cheap, but that’s how I think.”
Kowalski also challenged that statement on the FinCom directing the town’s financial agenda.
“That’s not what happened last year,” Kowalski said. “What happened last year was that the Finance Committee took over the Town Meeting – in a way that they can – and they voted to do it a totally different way than we had suggested.”
Finance Committee Chair Kathleen Ottina agreed that was an accurate summation of what transpired at the 2024 Town Meeting vote on Article 2. The Select Board had recommended an override and the FinCom sought to fill the gap with free cash. But, she noted, both boards have been working much more closely together this year.
She said there was some support for a three-year override on the Finance Committee before they voted, but members were swayed by Evans’ comment that, statistically voters do not support overrides.
They felt a one-year override stood the best chance of passing.
“We’d hate to risk going for the fiscally responsible three-year override and get nothing,” she said, hoping local receipts increase, some financing from the state increase and Chapter 70 increases, among other fiscal changes.

WHITMAN – The town has a new Free Cash policy.
The Select Board, on Tuesday, March 25, voted to support the new policy recommended by Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter, which will establish a budgetary policy for the use of free cash which includes –
Place 10 percent of the certified free cash amount, each fiscal year, allocated to the capitalization stabilization fund – not to be expended in the first year – but as a savings account that we’re slowly and steady adding to; and then, another 10 percent, especially after the remaining balance of the certified Free Cash amount would be added to the general stabilization fund each year; and we discussed placing a minimum of $200,000 each fiscal year be transferred from Free Cash to Plymouth County Retirement line until the undfunded liability is paid off; and a minimum of $140,000 each fiscal year, shall be transferred to the Article 2 line for “Other Post Employment Benefits.
The policy will begin this year.
“I think that, if we follow this every year, we are going to build a capital stabilization fund in the way that we should,” she said. “That money is not be touched. The towns that touch, the general stabilization fund are the towns that find themselves in trouble. Once they open that, and start going after that, they have nothing.”
She wanted to start the policy to build up some “good reserves” because the town needs a new fire engine, and an upgrade to financial software for starters.
“I think that this will put us on a good road for the future, if we just do this every single year,” she said.
“It sounds like a good plan,” Vice Chair Dan Salvucci said.
Board member Shawn Kain said that, when one looks at the towns that withstand some of these difficult times, and the ones that get into trouble, it’s the ones that have their financial policies set in place as the “rudder that keeps them on track.”
“There might be some difficult decisions in the future because of this, if we follow that plan it should keep us on solid financial ground,” he said.
Member Justin Evans noted that. “The unstated part of the policy will mean that 75-percent of certified free cash would be the town’s capital plan year after year.”
Whitman 150 update
Whitman 150 Committee Chair Richard Rosen also briefed the board on planned events for the towns sesquicentennial.
“Things are going very well, Rosen said. “We’re selling merchandise. There’s a lot of people buying … stuff,” Rosen said. “We want part of what will ultimately be history.”
He reminded residents that the kickoff dinner, scheduled for Saturday, April 5 at the Cardinal Spellman Center, and tickets will not be available at the door. To obtain tickets, priced at $50 each, are still available. Interested residents must contact Rosen’s office at 781- to obtain individual tickets wo reserve tables of eight or 10.
On Sunday, April 27, the burial of another time capsule on the Town Hall lawn, will overseen by former Fire Chief Tinothy Grenno and Thomas Burnett, who helped lower the 2000 event capsule on that same lawn during the centennial celebration.
A series of photos published by the Brockton Enterprise, at the time, shows Grenno and Burnett lower the time capsule into the hole made by a DPW crew.
“I found them both and asked if they’d [come back] and they both said yes,” Rosen said.
The centennial time capsule is slated to be disinterred in 2075 and the new one will be dug up in 2100.
“That way, we figured nobody would still be alive when they dig it up,” Rosen joked.
If people have items they would like to place in the time capsule, they should drop the items off at North Easton Savings Bank, Bedford St.
“North Easton Savings Bank has been extremely good to us in terms of donating money, time effort, volunteers – they’ve been great,” Rosen said.
Wondering how big items one might want to donate for the time capsule can be accommodated?
“I think anything much bigger than a shoebox isn’t that great,” Rosen said. “But I do need, like, a persons listed book and stuff like that, that after 75 years, people are going to look at it and go, ‘Wow!’ or whatever they’ll say.”
Rosen said there’s an important contest going on in the schools right now, as students in kindergarten through grade eight write essays – for the older grades, and photos for the younger children – on the theme: “Wonderful Whitman.”
Winners, chosen by teachers, will have their work placed in the time capsule, and they will be present when the time capsule is lowered – and more. Rosen said.
North Easton Savings will present the winning students with a bank account, which some have never had, and they’ll be invited to march in the parade on June 27.
The cornhole tournament signup list is still open.
The roadrace, slated for Sunday, June 8, will start next to the fire station.
“They’re going to come out of the [WWI Memorial] Arch and then do a similar route to all the roadraces that we used to have,” Rosen said.
Runners will be able to signup live on the next couple of days,” he said..
A band concert on June 14, followed by fireworks, and Sunday, June 22, fills out the celebration with a “pretty big parade,” Rosen said. “That’s [parpade] is going to be the final event that we’re doing,” he said. “I do need to set up a joint meeting with the police and fire chiefs and the DPW in the very near future, so they’re not surprised by any of this.”