by John Osborn ·
Friday, February 6, 2026
There was good news for Harvard in the annual state budget that Gov. Maura Healey sent to the Legislature last week.
The administration’s decision to appropriate more money to Massachusetts cities and towns in fiscal 2027 will, if the Legislature approves, provide Harvard $127,000 more in state aid than forecast, lowering next year’s projected deficit to $660,394.
The increase reduces the amount town departments and schools must cut to balance the budget without a Proposition 2½ override. Under the traditional 65-35 allocation formula, schools would need to trim $251,000 from their already lean request, down from $335,000. Town departments would need to cut $409,000, down from $452,000.
The Finance Committee is examining these cuts at the request of the Select Board to understand what a no-override budget would look like. Select Board Chair Kara Minar confirmed at a January meeting that the board wanted to see a balanced budget with no override “to fully understand the consequences of that path.”
But the committee has not ruled out recommending an override. At Tuesday’s meeting, Finance Committee member Adam Meier asked Chair Mike Derse directly whether the committee was working toward an override recommendation.
“I didn’t hear anyone say that they wanted to cut everything that was on the list,” Derse replied. “So yes, I think by inference, it sounds like the committee is going to be suggesting an override.” He said he believed a single-tier override would be what the committee goes for, though he noted the final decision rests with the Select Board.
A $660,394 override—the entire amount of the currently forecast deficit—would increase the average single-family tax bill by an estimated $322, according to a Department of Revenue online calculator, bringing the total to approximately $14,903. That would be roughly half the impact of last year’s $1.36 million override, which contributed to an estimated $655.12 increase in the average Harvard homeowner’s tax bill.
Even with the reduced deficit, the potential cuts needed to avoid an override are significant. Town Administrator Dan Nason presented a prioritized list of municipal cuts Tuesday that includes eliminating a police officer position, reducing library hours to the state minimum, and cutting services at the Harvard Senior Center.
Nason ranked the cuts based on protecting town employees and essential services. At the top of his list—items he felt could be cut first—were relatively small-dollar items. A $10,000 public buildings cut, for example, would be achieved by shifting a portion of the salary for the administrative assistant who handles building permits into the building permits revolving fund, which is supported by permit fees rather than taxes. Another reduction of $10,700 could be achieved by eliminating the receptionist position in the finance office. At the bottom of Nason’s list, signaling his reluctance to cut it, was the $85,000 police officer position.
“I was trying to look at things that don’t really hit the pocketbooks of the employees, or really jeopardize the town services,” Nason said. He said that eliminating a newly hired police officer would hurt public safety and damage the town’s reputation among law enforcement professionals.
The schools have already identified $335,000 in potential cuts, including eliminating a bus, a full-time employee position, and a custodial position. School Committee Chair Abby Besse said the list, which was presented in numerical rather than priority order, will be revised to reflect the lower $251,000 target at the Monday, Feb. 9, School Committee meeting.
Finance Committee member Noyan Kinayman suggested schools had already cut enough. “I don’t think we should ask more from schools,” he said. “That’s my personal opinion.”
Committee members debated moving the annual $80,000 police cruiser purchase from the operating budget to capital funding. Several members argued that the cruiser is a long-term asset that belongs in capital planning rather than year-to-year operations.
“It’s not even a cut,” Kinayman said. “We are still going to get the cruiser. It will go essentially from another pocket.”
The committee also discussed whether health insurance savings from eliminated positions could reduce the cuts needed elsewhere. Assistant Town Administrator Dawn Dunbar said she would work with the schools to provide conservative estimates of savings from the six positions already slated for elimination.
Derse said he would survey committee members individually on their priorities before the committee votes on a final recommendation at its Feb. 10 meeting. That recommendation is due to be presented to the Select Board March 3. Meanwhile, the Select Board says it will hold its own “budget retreat” before then on Feb. 18, from 9 a.m. until noon, upstairs in Town Hall.