Select Board drops school override from warrant

Select Board · Meeting of June 4, 2026

PAXTON — The Paxton Select Board voted to withdraw a proposed override-contingent Wachusett Regional School District budget, finalizing a six-article warrant for the June 22 special town meeting. The board kept a $386,289 town-services override, covering restored 24-hour police coverage and a DPW position, while the district's $8,494,267 assessment stays off the override entirely. Member Peter Bogren, Jr. said he could not support linking the school budget to the override after the town had asked for and gotten a lower 2.19 percent increase: "I can't look somebody in the eye and tell them I'm going to do one thing and then do something different." Vice Chair Jeffrey Wentzell backed the town override despite generally opposing "duplicating overrides," citing two years reviewing a budget with "no fluff." The board also raised trash rates to $28.12 monthly, approved a $1,443,000 USDA water main loan, and heard a preliminary $284,000 storm-damage estimate.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
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• The complete report — 2,187 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of June 4, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.