by John Osborn ·
Friday, January 30, 2026
Harvard homeowners could see their residential tax rate drop by nearly $4 per $1,000 of assessed value if the town resumed jurisdiction over its historical lands in Devens, according to financial projections unveiled Tuesday night by the Harvard-Devens Jurisdiction Committee.
If the merger were to occur today, the combined rate would fall to $12.26 per $1,000 for residential property, down from Harvard’s current $15.87, committee Chair Victor Normand told the three dozen residents who braved bitter cold to attend the Jan. 27 forum at the Harvard Senior Center. But he cautioned the analysis represents a snapshot frozen in time, calling it “an inexact science.”
The briefing was the first by the HDJC since 2022 and lasted more than two hours. Committee members presented in 41 slides their findings on Devens history, housing, school enrollment, utility rates, and finances. Lucy Wallace traced Devens’ evolution from farmland to Army base. John McCormack outlined existing and future plans for housing. Katy Covino-Poutasse detailed education impacts. Paul Green analyzed utility operations, and Normand estimated the additional costs of providing municipal services to Devens businesses and residents—and the tax and other revenue required to pay for them.
The committee projected that total Harvard district enrollment could reach 1,325 students by 2033—the year a governance plan must be submitted to the Legislature. The projection assumes 264 housing units already planned at Devens will be built, bringing enrollment close to the district’s 1,338-student peak in 2006. Devens enrollment would more than double from 96 currently to 232.
School Committee member Katy Covino-Poutasse said an additional 400 housing units proposed for Devens’ Innovation and Technology Center could add another 150 to 250 students, potentially exceeding the district’s capacity.
“There are so many variables,” said Select Board member SusanMary Redinger, who helped compile the enrollment estimates. “That’s why it’s running between 150 to 250, which is even a little bit like throwing a dart at it, to be honest.”
The projections mark the first time residents have seen detailed forecasts of how returning Devens land within Harvard’s historical boundaries could affect taxes and schools. State law requires a governance plan by July 1, 2033.
Currently, 96 Devens students attend Harvard schools, with MassDevelopment paying about $26,000 per pupil. Devens now has 256 residential units, mostly single family homes and duplexes; but the Legislature lifted the cap in 2024, opening the door to as many as 882 total units—or more. Redinger said the education challenge would require a regional solution, given that Harvard has its own plans for more housing. “What I think we need to do is start looking at it from a regional perspective of where all the students are going to go,” she said.
Drawing on MassDevelopment’s financial statements and Harvard’s fiscal 2026 budget, Normand estimated the additional cost to the town of providing services to businesses and residents of Devens within Harvard’s historical boundaries in fiscal 2026 would be $15 million. Adding Harvard’s costs would bring the total town budget to $58 million. Normand estimated the amount that would need to be raised from taxpayers at $36.7 million, with residents responsible for $23.3 million of that amount.
Commercial and industrial properties, according to Normand’s analysis, would face a combined tax rate of $16.87 per $1,000—higher than Harvard’s current $15.85 but lower than Devens’ current $17.27. The projections assume 82% of assessed value of Devens business and residential properties falls within Harvard’s historical boundaries.
Businesses at Devens currently enjoy an exemption from personal property tax on equipment and furniture. State law would require such taxation under town jurisdiction.
A half dozen Devens residents attended in person, including Devens Committee Chair Laura Scott and John Katter, who represents residents on the regional Devens Jurisdiction Framework Committee. The meeting was livestreamed on YouTube, allowing Harvard and Devens residents to view from home and submit questions. There were few questions from the audience, and none challenged the assumptions of the presenters.
Select Board Chair Kara Minar closed the meeting with a call for collaboration. “It has to be about forming a shared community that values the quality of life for all its residents,” Minar said. “It has to be about what brings us together, not what divides us.”
The Harvard-Devens Jurisdiction Committee was established in 2018 after Harvard voters charged the Select Board with developing a plan to resume jurisdiction over the town’s historical lands within Devens. The committee has been analyzing the financial, educational, and administrative impacts of such a transition as the 2033 deadline approaches.
A video of Tuesday night’s meeting will be posted later this week at the Harvard Media Cooperative website (theharvardmediacooperative.com). The slides are available on the Harvard-Devens Jurisdiction Committee webpage (www.harvard-ma.gov/178/Harvard---Devens-Jurisdiction- Committee).