Dudley Voters to Decide $1.985 Million Override After Town Exhausts All Reserves

DUDLEY — May 21, 2026 — Dudley officials warned residents the town has exhausted all stabilization funds and free cash to balance its fiscal year 2027 budget and is asking voters to approve a $1.985 million Proposition 2½ override on June 15. Town Accountant Sarah Lamarche and Town Administrator John Sullivan told a joint Select Board and Finance Appropriation and Advisory Committee session May 21 that the town applied approximately $830,000 in stabilization funds and 100 percent of available free cash — leaving a $245 free cash balance and zero in stabilization — to pass a legally required balanced budget at Annual Town Meeting earlier that week. The override, if approved, would raise the property tax rate by $1.08 per $1,000 of assessed value to $11.15, with the full residential tax base carrying nearly the entire burden: Dudley's commercial and industrial assessed value stands at just $67 million against $1.8 billion in residential value. Sullivan warned that even if the override passes, the town enters fiscal year 2028 with a structural shortfall of roughly $800,000 to $900,000 before any new cost increases. A second public information session is scheduled for June 2.