Hanson Approves School Budget, Cuts Town Services

Special town meeting votes to fully fund $14.9 million school assessment, resulting in reduced hours for town employees and unfilled highway position

HANSON, MA - June 17 - Hanson residents faced a difficult decision Monday night as they grappled with funding the full school assessment or maintaining town services during a special town meeting.

After lengthy debate, voters approved a budget that fully funds the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District's $14.9 million assessment but includes reductions in hours for some town hall employees and leaves a highway position unfilled.

The meeting, which lasted nearly an hour and a half, saw passionate arguments from both sides as residents weighed the impact on education against potential cuts to municipal services.

"These choices we're making in the moment are affecting us two to three years down the road," said Finance Committee Chairman Kevin Sullivan, urging voters to approve the reduced town budget to avoid deeper cuts in the future.

The approved budget uses approximately $692,000 in free cash to support town operations, leaving about $700,000 in reserve for next year. Sullivan warned that using more free cash now could lead to permanent job losses in the future.

"If you use free cash right now, they'll be gone next year," Sullivan said. "There's no coming back."

The school district's $14.9 million assessment represents a 7% increase for Hanson over the previous year. Hillary Kniffen, Vice Chair of the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District School Committee, explained that the increase was necessary to maintain current services.

"The school committee is not asking for anything more than to maintain the services the students already have," Kniffen said. She noted that the district's budget already includes cuts to five positions.

Kniffen warned that failure to approve the full assessment could lead to significant layoffs and program cuts. If a budget is not approved by June 30, the district would operate on a month-to-month basis using last year's budget figures, potentially requiring over $2.5 million in cuts and layoffs.

Some residents proposed using funds from the town's stabilization account or additional free cash to avoid cuts to town services. However, these motions were defeated after officials warned of potential impacts on the town's bond rating and future borrowing costs.

"We are below the State and Bonding Agency recommendations for stabilization," Sullivan said. "If you reduce it even more, it is going to cost us more to borrow money."

Town officials noted that Hanson faces several major capital projects in the coming years, including a library, highway department facility, and potential fire station upgrades. These projects will require borrowing, making the town's bond rating crucial.

The approved budget includes reductions in hours for employees in several departments, including the assessors' office, treasurer-collector, conservation commission, highway department, health department, and library. It also leaves one of the town's five highway positions unfilled.

Some residents expressed concern about the impact of these cuts on town services. Bruce Young, a longtime resident and community volunteer, highlighted potential issues with reducing transfer station hours and employee benefits.

"The transfer station, there's two individuals that are affected at the transfer station. They work for the highway department. They're part of the highway department union. They're going to go from 40 hours back to 32 hours, which means in the highway contract, they will be going back to a part-time position, which means that their benefits will be affected as well," Young said.

Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff assured residents that the town would follow proper procedures in implementing any changes, including impact bargaining with affected unions.

"We already have met preliminarily with the expectation that maybe this wouldn't, the school funding wouldn't pass, but they're well aware and we're prepared and ready to bargain as is required by law," Feodoroff said.

The meeting highlighted the ongoing financial challenges facing Hanson and other small towns as they struggle to balance education funding with municipal services. Officials stressed that without an override or additional revenue sources, the town will likely face even tougher choices in the coming years.