Stoneham Override Committee Votes to Consolidate Report Ahead of September 30 Deadline

STONEHAM — September 2, 2025 — Stoneham Override Study Committee hears cost trend data and moves toward a department-by-department override number ahead of a September 30 report deadline. At the September 2 meeting, Town Administrator Dennis Sheehan presented revenue and expense trends showing the town's debt exclusion climbing from $7.6 million to $8.8 million in FY26 due to a second high school borrowing tranche, health insurance costs likely rising at least $1 million year over year, and special education expenditures jumping from $10.8 million in FY23 to $15.5 million in FY25. A Select Board member's options document placed town-side override needs at roughly $4.2 million — $2.6 million in restorations of FY26 cuts and $1.6 million in new requests — not counting school department figures still being developed with a new superintendent. The committee voted unanimously to authorize the chair to make organizational edits to the draft report sections, targeting a consolidated working document for a September 10 session at the middle school, with the state legislative delegation and school department both expected at a September 16 meeting. The library is currently receiving $132,766 less than the state municipal appropriation requirement, putting its certification at risk.