Lunenburg Town Meeting Approves $49.9M Budget, Override Goes to Ballot

Town Meeting · Meeting of May 2, 2026

Lunenburg Town Meeting approved a $49.96 million balanced budget and voted to send two Proposition 2½ override questions, a $2.4 million Tier 1 and a $3.3 million Tier 2, to registered voters on an upcoming local ballot. The budget passed 340 to 68 under Article 10; the Tier 1 override appropriation carried 331 to 105 and the Tier 2 carried 302 to 122 under Article 11. Town Manager Jennifer Warren and Superintendent Dr.

Jody Fortuna warned that the balanced budget, if no override passes, would eliminate four elementary teachers, raise first-grade class sizes to 29 students, cut all athletic transportation, reduce fire per diem coverage to 70 hours per week, and effectively close the town beach after summer 2026. Warren said a new assistant town manager position at $120,000 and a fourth fire shift are included in all three budget tiers, offset in part by other reductions. Resident Michael Jeffries argued the balanced budget was "cruel and heartless" given roughly $8.5 million sitting in various stabilization accounts, while School Committee member Mandy Gilman urged a yes vote on both articles, warning floor amendments would "send the town into chaos." An attempt to amend Article 24 to add $200,000 for relocating the Lunenburg Food Pantry from the deteriorating TC Passios building was ruled outside the scope of the article.

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Source: the Town Meeting meeting of May 2, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.