by John Osborn ·
Friday, March 20, 2026
The Select Board on Tuesday closed the warrant for Harvard’s May 2 Annual Town Meeting, approving a 31-article agenda and a fiscal 2027 budget of $36,731,872. That budget includes a Proposition 2½ override of $135,370—far smaller than the $396,754 the Finance Committee had recommended in February, but still requiring voter approval at the May 5 Town Election.
If approved by voters, the override will add approximately $64 to the annual tax bill for a home assessed at the town average of roughly $918,000. If it fails at the ballot, the town will need to reduce spending to match available revenues.
The override figure, arrived at after months of budget negotiations among the Select Board, Finance Committee, and school and town administrators, reflects $271,185 in recommended cuts plus a substantial reduction in the health insurance increase that had been budgeted at 15% but came in at 6.34%. A late-breaking development added to the override need: The school district learned it will not receive a $34,568 Title I federal grant it had counted on for supplemental intervention services at Hildreth Elementary School. For details, see story on page 5.
The board voted to remove Article 17, the routine acceptance of gifts of property, which town counsel advised is unnecessary since the Select Board already has authority to accept such gifts under state law. The board also voted to add a new article providing definitions for the Solar Photovoltaic Facilities Overlay District bylaw—a change requested by board members who noted that terms such as “significant noise” in the bylaw text lack precise meaning.
Planning Board Chair John McCormack presented updated language for the solar overlay articles, noting that the bylaw had been further revised as recently as the night before—including a new 120-foot setback from residential property lines and simplified screening requirements. However, board members raised concerns about whether some provisions might constitute spot zoning. The board scheduled a joint Select Board and Planning Board meeting for March 24 to work out final language before an April 1 print deadline, with town counsel reviewing in the meantime.
McCormack also reported changes to the Town Center Overlay District articles, including a new 25-foot setback for accessory structures from the main building on abutting properties and a new section on operational standards—hours, deliveries, and noise limits—reflecting the district’s primarily residential character.
Town Meeting opens at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 2, at the Cronin Auditorium in the Bromfield School. The election follows on Tuesday, May 5, at Hildreth Elementary School, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.