Milton Warrant Committee Warns Next Override Could Reach $14.5 Million

Finance Committee · Meeting of May 4, 2026

Milton Warrant Committee projects town will need an override of up to $14.5 million within three years. Warrant Committee Chair Jay Fundling presented a multi-year budget forecast at a May 4 public forum, two nights before the annual town meeting, showing town expenses growing at roughly 4.7 percent annually against revenue growth of only about 3 percent. The town's Operating Budget Stabilization Fund — seeded with $2.7 million in free cash and override proceeds — can bridge the gap for two to three years depending on the drawdown strategy chosen, but Fundling warned the Select Board must make that policy decision by end of summer or risk "catastrophic" service impacts.

A 2028 override lasting five years would run approximately $11.5 million; waiting until 2029 pushes the figure to roughly $14.5 million. Warrant Committee member Brian McGuire, noting that Milton's 2025 override of $9.5 million was already the third-largest in the state for a town of 28,000, pressed the committee on why school cost projections continue to run at 5.2 percent annually when average teacher salary growth tracks closer to 3 percent.

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Source: the Finance Committee meeting of May 4, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.