[Massplanners] Prop 2.5 Override - Capital/Debt Exclusion Tips

[Katrina O'leary]

Hi Mariah,
I recommend reading the Finance Committee Handbook: https://www.mma.org/members/finance-committees/finance-committee-handbook/

There is a chapter on “Borrowing.”

Also, see MGL Chapter 44, Sections 7,8, and 10 for purposes for which a town can borrow.

I am by no means a finance expert – I just took a class on Municipal Finance several years ago.  😊


Katrina O'Leary, AICP
Middleton Town Planner
195 North Main Street     Middleton, MA   01949     PH: (978)777-8917
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From: MassPlanners <massplanners-bounces at masscptc.org> On Behalf Of Mariah Kurtz via MassPlanners
Sent: Monday, June 26, 2023 8:27 PM
To: Massachusetts Planners <massplanners at masscptc.org>
Subject: [Massplanners] Prop 2.5 Override - Capital/Debt Exclusion Tips

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Hi all,

Has anyone here gone through the Proposition 2.5 override Capital or Debt Exclusion process to fund a project? Our town hasn't ever (or at least in living memory) had an override vote, so no one on our team has experience with this process to draw on. I've got our Select Board, Finance Committee, and Capital Planning Committee on board to propose one this fall to fund the demolition of our long-derelict mill building. They have whittled it down to two options - pay for it in a one time capital exclusion or pay for it through a 5 year debt exclusion. At our public input session residents (surprisingly) largely favored paying for it outright in one year.

They're currently trying to figure out the logistics of the necessary town meeting and ballot vote. We need at least 4 weeks to plan an STM and 35 days to schedule a ballot vote.

The least confusing option seems to be host town meeting > take the winning option and create the ballot > residents ballot vote. But some folks are concerned that if there is 35 days between votes, less people will show up for the ballot vote and it will skew the results. In a more confusing option, we could have both options presented at the STM and on the ballot, but if different ones win in each, we would need to host a second STM to reconcile the results, which seems like a huge headache.


Mariah Kurtz (she/her)

Town Planner



Town of Erving

12 East Main Street

Erving, Massachusetts 01344

Phone: (413) 422-2800 ext. 1108 | Online: www.Erving-Ma.gov<https://linklock.titanhq.com/analyse?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.erving-ma.gov%2F&data=eJxdjLEOwiAURb8GtpLaNqQODC66-BOvQJAIPPKgJfXrbeNmcqZzbq5WchjNZZl6e53NzI2K3phgK6YIwuHGo3pKibh_Mj6050VFKCUHSMlS6RZck7aFTf2pda5aIDlO6g2VfAKBwQLtZ__7XdWr1szGGxvuB601YWnzyXW_weG-9FQ3Lg%25%25>  | Facebook: Town of Erving<https://www.facebook.com/townoferving>

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