Article 1: Annual reports
Vote required: Majority
This article, an annual formality, asks voters to hear reports from the Select Board, School Committee, and any other boards that wish to speak. A “yes” vote opens the door for any board or committee to step forward and tell the town of its activities and accomplishments over the past year.
The Harvard Town Charter requires the Select Board to report on the state of the town. This report, the charter says, should describe the progress made by the board in achieving its goals, a summary of the town’s financial position, economic development and capital projects, and “any other items that will impact the Town within the next several years.”
Requested by the Select Board. Neither board took a position.
Article 2: Pay bills of prior fiscal years
Vote required: Four-fifths
Amount: $2,060.01
Source: Available funds
Every year, a handful of invoices arrive after the books close on the prior fiscal year—a final utility bill, a vendor invoice delayed in the mail, a charge that wasn’t processed in time. Once the fiscal year ends on June 30, those bills can no longer be paid from that year’s appropriations.
This article authorizes the town to pay $2,060.01 in bills that arrived or were processed too late to be covered by the fiscal 2025 budget: $1,690.50 due Mirick; $219.51 due West Plumbing; and $150 due Convenient MD.
The four-fifths vote requirement—higher than the simple majority most articles require—reflects the seriousness with which Massachusetts law regards the situation. Paying a prior year’s bill from current funds is treated as a fiscal irregularity, even when the amounts are small and the cause is routine. The supermajority requirement is intended to ensure Town Meeting is paying attention when it happens.
Rejecting the article would leave the town unable to settle legitimate debts incurred in fiscal 2025.
Requested by the Finance Director. Recommended by the Finance Committee and the Select Board.
Article 3: School rental revolving fund receipts transfer
Vote required: Majority
Amount: $45,410
Source: Fiscal 2025 certified free cash
Various civic, cultural, and athletic groups pay a rental fee when they use the school buildings on weekends or after school hours. The money covers related costs such as heating, electricity, and overtime pay for custodians.
At Town Meeting in fall 2024, voters approved a School Building Rental Revolving Account to hold those rental fees. The account was created July 1, 2025, at the start of fiscal 2026. The May 2025 Town Meeting moved money into that account from the free cash that had been certified in late 2024. Approval of this article would move school rental money that came into free cash later and had to stay there until free cash was again certified in fall 2025. Rental money that has come in since July 1, 2025, has gone directly into the revolving account and will continue to do so.
Requested by the School Committee. Recommended by the Finance Committee and the Select Board.
Article 4: Transfer from certified free cash to stabilization account
Vote required: Majority
Amount: $755,341
Source: Fiscal 2025 certified free cash
Harvard’s capital planning bylaw requires that whenever the balance of the town’s General Stabilization Fund, as of July 1, falls below 5% of the preceding year’s omnibus budget, free cash must be used to restore it.
The balance of the stabilization fund on March 31, 2026, was $1,007,472. The required balance is $1,762,813. The amount required to top off the fund is $755,341. The source is fiscal 2025 certified free cash, $1,581,075, certified by the Department of Revenue in September 2025.
Requested by the Finance Committee. Recommended by the Finance Committee. Because it did not know the amount required at the time of its vote, the Select Board deferred its recommendation and will make one at Town Meeting on May 2.
Article 5: Transfer from certified free cash to the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund
Vote required: Majority
Amount: $778,264
Source: Fiscal 2025 certified free cash
The Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund is Harvard’s savings account for capital projects that cost more than $20,000 but less than $500,000, or have an expected life of five or more years. The fund gets its dollars from free cash, money left unspent—and unrestricted—from the prior fiscal year.
Harvard’s capital planning bylaw, passed in 2010, requires the Select Board to place an article before Town Meeting each fiscal year to transfer whatever remains of the prior fiscal year’s free cash to the capital fund. The current fiscal year is 2026, which ends July 1; the prior fiscal year—the source of this year’s free cash—is 2025.
This article fulfills the capital bylaw’s requirement for fiscal 2026. If it passes, the Finance Director will transfer the $778,264 of fiscal 2025 free cash that remains after passage of Articles 3 and 4 to the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund.
Paying for capital projects from savings rather than debt reduces the amount the town must borrow, which helps restrain the growth of property taxes. Article 9 lists the 15 projects the Capital Planning and Investment Committee has recommended for fiscal 2027 using money in the capital fund.
The capital fund’s balance as of March 31, 2025, was $2,075,042. Passage of this article will increase the fund’s balance to $2,853,306.
Requested by the Finance Committee. Recommended by the Finance Committee. Because it did not know the amount required at the time of its vote, the Select Board deferred its recommendation and will make one at Town Meeting on May 2.
Article 6: Appropriate cable franchise fees
Vote required: Majority
Amount: $71,000
Source: Cable franchise fees
The Harvard Media Cooperative (formerly Harvard Cable TV) draws money from three sources to pay for its operations. The largest share comes from Spectrum, Harvard’s cable TV provider. The amount is set by the terms of Spectrum’s 10-year contract with the town. But the town and schools also provide an annual subsidy.
The $71,000 due from Spectrum for fiscal 2027, which begins July 1, currently sits in the town’s cable access fund. Passage of this article transfers the money from there to a receipts-reserved-for-cable account, where dollars are available to the Harvard Media Cooperative Committee to pay for personnel and the cost of providing its services to the town and schools.
Requested by the Select Board. Recommended by the Finance Committee and the Select Board.
Article 7: Omnibus budget
Vote required: Majority
Amount: $36,731,872
Source: Tax levy, state aid, available funds
Article 7 is Harvard’s omnibus budget, the amount the Select Board and Finance Committee recommend spending in fiscal 2027 to deliver municipal and educational services, from Town Hall departments and school classrooms to roads and public safety.
Passing Article 7 at Town Meeting on May 2 is only the first step. The budget requires more revenue than Proposition 2½ allows: The state law caps annual property tax increases at 2.5% plus new growth, and other available revenue can’t make up the difference. To pay for the entire budget, voters must also approve a $135,370 override at Town Election on May 5.
At the ballot box, Question 1 asks voters to authorize that additional levy. If it passes, the override adds approximately $64 to the annual tax bill for a home assessed at the town average of $918,796. The override funds seven items: school supplies at Hildreth Elementary and Bromfield ($38,000); Title I intervention services for struggling students at Hildreth ($34,568); wages for the Community and Economic Development Director ($30,000); the Finance Department receptionist ($10,700); tree warden expenses ($10,000); additional Board of Health hours ($8,838); and associated benefits of the included personnel ($3,264). If voters reject the override, the town would need to cut those items from the approved budget.
Article 7 can be amended at Town Meeting—to reduce, transfer, or eliminate any line item—but not increased. Any such amendment would lower the appropriation, not the override amount on the ballot.
Further discussion of Article 7 and Question 1 appears elsewhere in this issue. The line-by-line budget is on pages 59 through 63 of the Town Meeting booklet.
Requested by the Select Board and Finance Committee. Recommended by the Select Board and Finance Committee.
Article 8: Performance-based wage adjustments
Vote required: Majority
Amount: $74,777
Source: Raise and appropriate / available funds
The omnibus budget provides cost-of-living increases for town employees who are not covered by union or individual contracts but no other raises based on performance or seniority. So the Personnel Board each year recommends that the town set aside an amount to provide merit raises for superior performance. Most of the affected employees work for the library, Town Hall, and the Council on Aging. If the article passes, each department head will be able to give a merit raise of up to 3% to nonunion employees who met or exceeded performance goals in the past year. Since 2018, this merit-pay system has replaced the step-and-grade pay scale for these employees.
This expenditure is in addition to and independent of the $36.7 million omnibus budget.
Requested by the Select Board. Recommended by the Finance Committee and the Select Board.
Article 9: Capital Planning and Investment Committee recommended expenditures
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount: $1,318,000 (total for all sub-items)
Source: Capital Stabilization Fund
Each year the Capital Planning and Investment Committee reviews requests from departments and committees for equipment purchases, projects, or studies that cost more than $20,000 or have a useful life of five or more years. Large projects costing more than $500,000—such as a new fire station, should one be needed—are typically paid for with excluded debt. Smaller projects can be paid for with savings in the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund.
The 15 projects recommended for fiscal 2027 will be paid for with money in the capital fund, which following passage of Article 5 will have a balance of $2,853,306. If all 15 capital expenditures are approved, the capital fund will be left with a balance of $1,535,306.Each of the 15 subarticles (Articles 9.1 through 9.15) requires a separate two-thirds vote. Voters may approve or reject any individual item.
Requested by the Capital Planning and Investment Committee. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Article 9-1: Beach house exterior repairs
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $30,000
This article was requested by Facilities Manager Jeff Hayes, in an effort to avoid the town’s habit of deferring maintenance. If passed, the Bare Hill Pond beach house will receive a new roof and new siding and trim.
Requested by the town’s facilities manager. If it passes, the money will be spent by the building commissioner (a position also held by Hayes), with the approval of the Select Board.
Article 9-2: Roof replacements for Still River Fire Station, old ambulance building, and beach house
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $60,000
Jeff Hayes told the Press he hopes to re-roof all of these buildings. He awaits final quotes on all three and will begin the required procurement process after written estimates are in.
The first priority, he said, is the beach house, which last had its roof replaced in 2004 and shows the most deterioration. The Still River Fire Station’s roof—last replaced in 2005—is the next priority and also needs to be fully replaced. Last on the list is the old ambulance building, which sits behind Town Hall. Its roof was replaced in 2003 but remains in the best condition of the three. Hayes said, “As this is a smaller building, we may repair any issues (none yet) and circle back to this one with public building repair funds, depending on the final cost.”
Requested by the town’s facilities manager. If it passes, the money will be spent by the building commissioner with the approval of the Select Board.
Article 9-3: Flooring for Public Safety Building and Town Hall
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $58,000
Parts of the flooring in each of the two buildings need replacement, Town Facilities Manager and Building Commissioner Jeff Hayes told the Press. At the Public Safety Building, 40 Ayer Road, the carpeted parts of the floor will be replaced with laminate plank flooring, which Hayes said is easier to clean, looks better, and lasts longer than carpet. And on the first level of the building, worn-out vinyl composition tile will be replaced with new tile of the same type. The carpet tiles were last replaced in 2018, the vinyl tiles in 2013.
At Town Hall, the existing carpet and vinyl composition tile on the first floor—last replaced in 2015—will be replaced. The existing wood that makes up most of the flooring at Town Hall is not part of this project, Hayes said.
Requested by the town’s facilities manager. If it passes, the money will be spent by the building commissioner with the approval of the Select Board.
Article 9-4: Police Department portable radios
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $33,000
Police Chief James Babu has requested money for new portable radios for the department’s new officers. This would be the first step in gradually replacing the department’s existing radios, which were purchased in 2012 and are at the end of their useful lifespan. The new radio model meets current encryption standards and operates on all major frequencies, allowing communication among all town departments as well as emergency personnel in other towns.
Requested by the police chief. If it passes, the money will be spent by the police chief with the approval of the Select Board.
Article 9-5: Police cruiser
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $80,000
For many years, the Police Department has replaced one cruiser each year on a six-year cycle. That cost has previously been part of the town’s operating budget. But the Finance Committee requested it be moved to the capital fund this year because of the tight budget. If approved, the new vehicle will be a 2026 Ford Police Interceptor Utility with a hybrid power train that will reduce fuel consumption. It will replace the oldest car in the department’s current fleet.
Requested by the police chief. If it passes, the money will be spent by the police chief with the approval of the Select Board
Article 9-6: Fire engine 2 holding tank conversion
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $22,000
At 10 years old, Engine 2 is only about halfway through its expected life cycle. Fire Chief Rick Sicard has requested money to convert the engine’s fire retardant tanks so they can use fire-fighting substances that do not include PFAS “forever chemicals,” which have been linked to a range of health and environmental problems.
Requested by the fire chief. If it passes, the money will be spent by the fire chief with the approval of the Select Board.
Article 9-7: Bromfield School Cronin Auditorium seating
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $205,000
Some seats in the Bromfield School’s Cronin Auditorium are broken, creating a safety hazard, while others require new upholstery. The request was first brought to Town Meeting in 2024 for a smaller amount and included repairs only to the seats. CPIC denied the project for two main reasons, the first being that the proposed upgrades would not have addressed the issues raised in the 2023 report from the Commission on Disabilities. To comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the auditorium needs at least eight designated wheelchair spaces and also some aisle seats with removable or folding armrests. Secondly, CPIC members deemed repairs a stopgap measure. A request for $183,000 to remove and replace all the seats, and make the changes required by the ADA was brought to the 2025 Annual Town Meeting. The measure failed by three votes to get the required two-thirds majority. The new seats have an average life expectancy of at least 25 years. This year, the schools increased the request to $205,000 based on current bid estimates.
Requested by the school superintendent. If it passes, the money will be spent by the superintendent with the approval of the School Committee.
Article 9-8: Bromfield School flooring
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $150,000
This expenditure is the final installment in the project that began four years ago to replace the old floors in Bromfield. The flooring is beyond its life expectancy; tiles are cracking and coming loose from the subfloor. If approved, the money requested in this article will replace flooring in the remaining high school classrooms, and then the project will be complete. The new flooring has a life expectancy of 20 years and does not need waxing.
Requested by the school superintendent. If it passes, the money will be spent by the superintendent with the approval of the School Committee.
Article 9-9: Bromfield School lockers
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $210,000
Student lockers throughout the Bromfield School are between 20 and 40 years old. The typical lifespan of a locker is 20-25 years. There are roughly 350 lockers that require replacement (approximately 85% of Bromfield student lockers). The remaining 15% of lockers are only about 12 years old and in good condition. The lockers to be replaced have sustained many repairs over the years. Many are rusted, are missing shelves, and are deteriorating. The installation company will recycle the metal lockers that are taken out.
The schools brought the request for replacement to CPIC five years ago and every year since, but with no success. School administrators assert that lockers are an essential part of the school for students who need secure storage for coats, athletic gear, musical instruments, and other bulky items.
Requested by the school superintendent. If it passes, the money will be spent by the superintendent with the approval of the School Committee.
Article 9-10: Hildreth Elementary School cafeteria flooring
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $45,000
The schools are requesting funds to replace the peeling floor in the elementary school cafeteria. The current floors were installed with a lower quality non-VOC (volatile organic compound) adhesive. The cafeteria is one of the most heavily trafficked areas in the school, and the floor has been patched where necessary. Unfortunately, the materials installed during construction are out of warranty. Additionally, floors in elementary schools have new regulations for the adhesive used. The school facilities director, John Tarlach, has identified a higher-quality flooring material and adhesive that will comply with the new VOC regulations, and he has had success using the adhesive in other high-traffic areas around the school that have been patched over the past year.
Requested by the school superintendent. If it passes, the money will be spent by the superintendent with the approval of the School Committee.
Article 9-11: Bromfield theater storage shed
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $25,000
The theater department requests a 16- by 24-foot shed to store items for a variety of sets that its students build for shows. The one shed they use is full with needed materials, and there is no other storage area at Bromfield, as there are no unused classrooms. The life expectancy of a new shed is about 35 years. A new shed would ensure that materials are reused year after year, contributing to the sustainability of the program as well as its financial resources. The shed would be located behind the Cronin Auditorium.
Requested by the school superintendent. If it passes, the money will be spent by the superintendent with the approval of the School Committee.
Article 9-12: School passenger van
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $110,000
The school district hopes to buy a van that would accommodate 14 to 16 passengers. Several years ago the schools purchased two used vans for student transportation, and they have been used for sports teams, field trips, school clubs, and more. But one van is now defunct and the other has been described as “limping along.” Superintendent Linda Dwight told the Capital Committee that using those vans daily to transport students to sports events or club activities saved the schools more than $50,000 in one school year, compared to the cost of using Dee Bus for the same trips.
Requested by the school superintendent. If it passes, the money will be spent by the superintendent with the approval of the School Committee.
Article 9-13: Annual road maintenance
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $200,000
The town has historically received about $350,000 from the state each year as Chapter 90 highway funds, an amount that has not kept pace with the cost of materials needed to pave the town’s roads. For the past five fiscal years, the DPW director has requested an additional $200,000 to support the department’s capital plan for road maintenance. The plan is updated annually and based on visual inspection and pavement preservation.
Thanks to passage of the so-called millionaire’s tax in 2022, the state has increased the amount of Chapter 90 highway money it allocates to towns. Harvard, according to the Department of Transportation, can expect to receive an additional $211,795 in fiscal 2027, for an estimated total of $561,724. But the final amount won’t be known until the Commonwealth’s fiscal 2027 budget is passed and signed into law.
Requested by the DPW director. If it passes, the money will be spent by the DPW director with the approval of the Select Board.
Article 9-14: Tennis court renovation
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $70,000
This article, requested by Park and Recreation Director Anne McWaters, helps pay for four fully reconstructed tennis courts behind the Bromfield School. It has been 20 years since the last reconstruction, and the courts have cracks that will only get worse with time. The $70,000 from the Capital Planning and Investment Committee will be coupled with $158,000 from the Community Preservation Committee. Both requests need approval.
Requested by the park and recreation director. If it passes, the money will be spent by the park and recreation director with the approval of the Select Board.
Article 9-15: Dock replacement and buoys
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount requested: $20,000
This article, requested by Park and Recreation Director Anne McWaters, pays for a new Bare Hill Pond raft to replace one that failed last summer and is beyond repair. The article also funds “no wake” buoys that inform boaters they must travel at a headway speed, making no waves. The buoys establish a no-wake area for kayaks and canoes and help preserve the native grasses and pond life. Currently, the town does not own these buoys.
Requested by the park and recreation director. If it passes, the money will be spent by the park and recreation director with the approval of the Select Board.
Article 10: Eldridge Road culvert debt exclusion
Vote required: Two-thirds
Amount: $800,000
Source: Borrowing (debt exclusion)
The galvanized steel culvert on Eldridge Road is failing at both ends because of rust and will eventually collapse. The town has applied for two grants to cover or defray the cost: the Community Culvert grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance grant from the Ecological Restoration Division of the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. But both are reimbursement grants, so the town must vote to fund the project in advance. As of April 21, the town had not yet heard whether it had won the grants. To borrow this money, in addition to approving this article, the town must vote “yes” at the ballot box May 5 for an $800,000 debt exclusion.
Requested by the Select Board. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Article 11: Capital Planning and Investment Committee debt payment
Vote required: Majority
Amount: $58,838
Source: Raise and appropriate / available funds
In 2012, the Community Preservation Committee voted to pay the annual principal and interest due on $1 million of the $3.7 million 20-year bond issued that year by the town to pay for the renovation of Town Hall. Last year’s payment was $60,288; this year’s is $58,838. Passage of this article will leave the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund with a balance of $1,476,468.
Requested by the Finance Committee and Capital Planning and Investment Committee. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
The Select Board debates whether to accept a friendly amendement on Article 4, the purchase of property for recreational purposes, at Town Meeting, Sept. 27, 2025. From left: Park and Recreation Director Anne McWaters, Kara Minar, Former Town Administrator Dan Nason, SusanMary Redinger, Eve Wittenberg, Ahmet Corapcioglu, and, standing above, Moderator Bill Barton. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Article 12: Community Preservation Committee report
Vote required: Majority
This article invites the Community Preservation Committee to report on the state of Harvard’s Community Preservation Fund and the grants it has approved for fiscal 2027. The report is typically delivered by the CPC chair, currently Stu Sklar. A copy of the report appears on pages 25 and 26 of the Town Meeting booklet.
The committee has two principal sources of income: the town’s 3% Community Preservation Act surcharge on property taxes—approved by Town Meeting in 2023—plus whatever amount the state chooses to match. This year the surcharge generated $793,383, about $12,000 above projections. The state contributed $211,175 in matching funds. Combined with carryover from prior years, the fund had $1,522,930 available for fiscal 2027 projects.
The CPC is recommending $1,299,538 in spending across 10 projects in Article 13. Harvard Park’s McCurdy Track, reconstructed with CPC support last year, will require an annual bond payment beginning in fiscal 2028; Sklar has estimated the payment at $150,000 or less.
This article was requested by the Community Preservation Committee. If it passes, the chair of the CPC will present the report. The Finance Committee takes no position on this article; the Select Board recommends it.
Article 13: Community Preservation Committee recommended acquisitions and projects
Vote required for each expenditure: Majority
Amount: $1,299,538 (total for all sub-items)
Source: Community Preservation Fund
This article, submitted by the Community Preservation Committee, lists the projects the committee has voted to support in fiscal 2027. The money source is Harvard’s Community Preservation Fund, replenished each year by the town’s 3% Community Preservation Act property tax surcharge plus a state match. This year the state contributed $211,175; combined with local surcharge revenue of $793,383 and carryover from prior years, the fund had $1,522,930 available. Even after the $1,299,538 in recommendations below, approximately $225,000 remains uncommitted.
By law, money in a town’s Community Preservation Fund must be used to preserve open space and historic sites and to create recreational facilities and affordable housing. Each year, at least 10% of annual CPA revenue must be spent or set aside for future use in each of these three categories.
The committee approved the 10 projects listed below at its January and February meetings. Nine passed unanimously; the $300,000 Emergent Housing Production Fund request passed 6-2, with two members, including the chair, voting against.
Each project requires a separate majority vote. Voters may approve or reject any individual item.
Requested by the Community Preservation Committee. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position, deferring to the authority of the independent CPC to determine best use of the Community Preservation Fund.
Article 13-1: Tennis court reconstruction
Vote required: Majority
Amount requested: $158,000
This article, requested by Recreation Director Anne McWaters, helps pay for four fully reconstructed tennis courts behind the Bromfield School. The $158,000 from the Community Preservation Committee will be coupled with $70,000 from the Capital Planning and Investment Committee. Both requests must be approved by Town Meeting.
Requested by the recreation director. If it passes, the money will be spent by the recreation director.
Article 13-2: Town beach ADA water fountain
Vote required: Majority
Amount requested: $8,000
This item funds installation of an ADA-compliant water fountain at the town beach, to be placed near the wheelchair-accessible bathroom in the parking area. The fountain will include a bottle filler and will be built at two heights to accommodate users of different statures. Park and Recreation Director Anne McWaters noted that Department of Public Works assistance with site preparation could reduce the final cost below the $8,000 appropriation. Recreation facilities are an eligible use of Community Preservation funds.
Requested by the recreation director. If it passes, the money will be spent by the recreation director.
Article 13-3: Conservation restriction on Three Penny Farm
Vote required: Majority
Amount requested: $400,000
This item funds Harvard’s share of a conservation restriction on 34.7 acres at Three Penny Farm on Old Littleton Road. The Sudbury Valley Trustees are contributing $150,000 toward the project, and the Harvard Conservation Trust is expected to help with associated purchase expenses, bringing the total project cost to approximately $557,000. If approved, the two organizations will hold the restriction jointly.
The $400,000 figure is based on a 2025 appraisal that valued the development rights at approximately $500,000. Conservation Agent Liz Allard has noted the final cost may vary slightly, as the property owner is still determining the exact boundaries to be protected.
Conservation Commission Chair Jim Burns told the CPC in December that the parcel would be a step toward linking the Shaker Spring House conservation land with the Black Pond conservation area on the eastern side of Old Littleton Road. “From a linkage viewpoint, it would be a pretty significant piece of property,” he said, adding that the relatively flat upper portion of the parcel could eventually provide ADA-accessible conservation land and a new path to the spring house. A privately owned parcel between the Three Penny Farm parcel and the Black Pond area remains outside the restriction.
The town previously sought a state grant to fund a conservation restriction on the same property, but the application was denied in 2025 and the effort was dropped. This CPC appropriation revives the effort using local Community Preservation funds. The project passed the CPC unanimously.
Requested by the Conservation Commission. If it passes, the money will be spent by the Conservation Commission.
Article 13-4: Solar water pump and storage tank for community garden
Vote required: Majority
Amount requested: $2,250
This item funds half the cost of a solar-powered water pump and storage system at the Harvard Community Garden on Littleton Road. The Garden Club of Harvard is contributing the remaining $2,250, for a total project cost of $4,500.
The system will pump water from a spring into a 700-gallon storage tank, replacing the hand pumps that the garden’s 22 plot holders currently use to fill contractor buckets. Mary Keefe, speaking for the garden, said the project aims to reduce stress on the spring while making the garden more accessible to older members.
Although the Community Garden is an independent private organization, the Conservation Commission endorsed the project. CPC Chair Stu Sklar noted that farming qualifies as a conservation use under the Community Preservation Act. “It keeps a field that historically had been a farming field, still being farmed, albeit by smaller entities,” he said. The project passed unanimously.
Requested by the Harvard Community Garden. If it passes, the money will be spent by the Harvard Community Garden.
Article 13-5: Municipal Affordable Housing Trust, state minimum set aside
Vote required: Majority
Amount requested: $102,000
The Community Preservation Act requires that at least 10% of each year’s CPA revenue be spent or set aside for affordable housing. This item fulfills that obligation for fiscal 2027.
The Municipal Affordable Housing Trust is the town body charged with developing and preserving affordable housing in Harvard. CPA funds appropriated to the trust can be used for acquiring land or buildings, constructing or rehabilitating housing, or other purposes that increase the town’s count of deed-restricted affordable units—a figure the state tracks in its Subsidized Housing Inventory.
If voters reject this article, the town is still required by state law to set the $102,000 aside for a future affordable housing purpose; the money cannot be redirected elsewhere.
Requested by the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust. If it passes, the money will be spent by the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust.
Article 13-6: Municipal Affordable Housing Trust emergent housing production fund
Vote required: Majority
Amount requested: $300,000
This item appropriates an additional $300,000 to the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust beyond the 10% minimum required under Article 13.5. Unlike the mandatory allocation, this amount is discretionary. It was the most debated item in the CPC’s fiscal 2027 deliberations, passing 6-2 with Chair Stu Sklar and member Todd Currie voting against.
MAHT Chair Arielle Jennings argued that the trust needs funds in its own account to move quickly when an affordable housing opportunity arises—for instance, a land purchase—without waiting for a future Town Meeting appropriation. She noted the town’s recent vote to create a multifamily housing zone on Ayer Road as evidence of growing community support for expanding Harvard’s affordable housing stock.
Sklar countered that the trust already has approximately $1 million available and that committing $300,000 more without a specific project on the table risked rejection at Town Meeting. He preferred keeping the money in the Community Preservation Fund, where it could be used to back a bond for a future MAHT acquisition.
The committee ultimately sided with Jennings and approved $300,000, a compromise between the $102,000 minimum and the $400,000 the trust had initially sought.
Unlike Article 13.5, a “no” vote here does not obligate the town to set the money aside; the $300,000 would simply remain in the Community Preservation Fund.
Requested by the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust. If it passes, the money will be spent by the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust. This item was approved by the CPC on a 6-2 vote.
Article 13-7: Volunteers Hall and library reading room floor replacement / repair
Vote required: Majority
Amount requested: $242,000
The public library requests Community Preservation Committee funds to repair the floors in Volunteers Hall and the reading room. The nearly 3,000 square feet of flooring is original to the structure built in 1877 and, according to library officials, presents a safety concern to the community. Exposed nails, splintering wood, and structural integrity concerns require the floor to be replaced and the subfloor to be repaired in multiple locations. Renovations must comply with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The proposal includes replacement of the yellow pine floors with white oak, and it includes allotments for subcontractors including architectural and engineering, as well as carpentry. See article on page 5.
Requested by the library trustees. If it passes, the money will be spent by the Harvard Public Library Trustees.
Article 13-8: Archive digitization at Harvard Historical Society
Vote required: Majority
Amount requested: $24,500
Last January, the Harvard Historical Society received the Community Preservation Committee’s approval for $24,500 to pay for a multiyear digitization of its archives. The project will focus initially on transcribing and digitizing 211 letters from the Whitney family collection, including 119 newly acquired letters that Charles Whitney wrote to family members during the Civil War. According to HHS President Steve Abrams, the digitization would make historical documents more accessible to researchers and the public through the society’s website.
Requested by the Harvard Historical Society. If it passes, the money will be spent by the Harvard Historical Society.
Article 13-9: Town Hall bond repayment
Vote required: Majority
Amount requested: $42,788
In 2012, the Community Preservation Committee voted to pay the annual principal and interest due on $1 million of the $3.7 million 20-year bond issued that year by the town to pay for the renovation of Town Hall. Last year’s payment was $43,838; this year’s is $42,788.
Requested by the finance director. If it passes, the money will be spent by the finance director.
Article 13-10: Community Preservation Committee administrative expenses
Vote required: Majority
Amount requested: $20,000
The Community Preservation Committee requires money for administrative expenses, including annual dues for membership in the Community Preservation Coalition, legal notices, community outreach, and fiscal consultant services. The expenditure also defrays the cost of a part-time assistant and others who support the committee’s work—an allowed use of CPA funds.
CPC Chair Stu Sklar noted that actual administrative spending typically runs around $4,000 annually. The committee authorizes the full $20,000 to preserve flexibility to hire legal counsel if needed for a complex project such as a conservation restriction or an affordable housing partnership. This year’s request is the same as last year’s: $20,000.
Requested by the Community Preservation Committee. If it passes, the money will be spent by the Community Preservation Committee.
Article 14: FY2027 enterprise fund budgets
Vote required: Majority
Amount: $901,829 (total across all four funds)
Source: Enterprise fund revenues; general fund (sewer subsidy)
Past Town Meetings created four enterprise funds to manage the operations of the town center sewer and water systems, the Harvard Ambulance Service, and the Transfer Station. This article sets their budgets for fiscal 2027.
An enterprise fund allows a department or service to operate like a small business. By funding operations through fees instead of taxes, enterprise funds keep pressure off the General Fund, which pays for town departments, schools, police, fire, and other expenses consolidated in the annual omnibus operating budget.
The budget of an enterprise fund must balance: Revenues in a given fiscal year must be sufficient to cover the expenses of the operation the fund supports. When expenses exceed revenue, the town must appropriate money from the town’s General Fund to make up the difference. Passage of this article appropriates $125,000 to the sewer enterprise fund to balance its budget. Look for the appropriation on page 63 of the Town Meeting booklet. The remaining three funds are budgeted to pay for themselves.
For details on the budgeted fiscal 2027 expenses for each fund, please refer to pages 64 and 65 of the Town Meeting booklet. Table 1 below summarizes the fiscal 2027 budgets.
Requested by the Finance Director. Recommended by the Finance Committee and the Select Board.
Article 15: Establish cruiser use maintenance revolving fund
Vote required: Majority
This article would allow the town to establish a new revolving fund with a limit of $20,000 to support maintaining, repairing, or replacing the Police Department’s cruisers. Income for the fund would come from a flat fee of $100 for police detail duties that require a cruiser. Nonprofit, charity, or community-centered activities would be exempt from that fee.
Requested by the police chief and finance director. Recommended by the Finance Committee and the Select Board.
Article 16: Revolving funds
Vote required: Majority
A revolving fund is a financial mechanism that separately accounts for specific revenues and earmarks them for expenditure by a board or officer without requiring a separate appropriation. Massachusetts law permits towns to authorize the use of one or more revolving funds by municipal agencies, boards, departments, or offices. The money collected by these organizations is kept separate from other municipal accounts and used to support their programs.
No money is appropriated by this article, but it does provide necessary authorization for owners of the accounts to collect and disburse funds through them.
With the passage of Article 15, the police cruiser maintenance revolving fund, Harvard will have 11 such funds. This article reauthorizes them for fiscal 2026 and sets a not-to-exceed dollar limit for the coming year. The funds and their limits are listed in Table 2.
Requested by the Finance Committee. Recommended by the Finance Committee and the Select Board.
Article 17: Acceptance of highway funds
Vote required: Majority
Amount: TBD (set by state)
Source: State Chapter 90 funds
State law requires Town Meeting to accept the Chapter 90 funds that the state Department of Transportation provides each year to supplement spending for the repair and improvement of the town’s 64 miles of roads.
The Department of Transportation estimates that Harvard will receive $349,930 through Chapter 90 in fiscal 2027 plus $211,795 in Fair Share dollars, made available through the so-called millionaire’s surtax, for a total of $561,725. In fiscal 2026, the current year, Harvard received $259,486.61 from Chapter 90 and an additional $69,196.43 from Fair Share.
By defraying some of the cost of maintaining Harvard’s roads, Chapter 90 funds reduce the amount of money the DPW must ask the town to provide. Note that the state’s highway fund formula for Harvard includes the roads at Devens, which are not Harvard’s responsibility to maintain.
If this article passes, the money will be spent by the DPW director with Select Board approval. Unspent funds will go into the town’s General Fund.
Requested by the Select Board. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Article 18: Acceptance of transportation network company (TNC) charges
Vote required: Majority
Amount: $1,067
Source: Municipal TNC charges (state distributed)
When you book a ride on Uber or Lyft in Massachusetts, the state collects a 20-cent fee. Half of what’s collected statewide flows to the Commonwealth Transportation Fund; the other half is distributed to municipalities in proportion to the number of rides that originated there. This article authorizes the director of public works to accept and spend Harvard’s share.
Because Harvard is a small town with relatively little ride-share traffic, its annual distribution is modest. Interim Town Administrator Dawn Dunbar told the Press the amount available for the current fiscal year is $1,067. The figure for fiscal 2027 won’t be known until later this year.
By state law, the money must be spent on roads, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure, or other purposes substantially related to ride-share services in the town, including programs that support alternative modes of transportation. The town must report to the state on how it spent the funds by Dec. 31 of the same year.
This is the first time this article has appeared on Harvard’s warrant. A note for future years: The 20-cent fee is currently set to expire in January 2027, though the state Senate has moved to eliminate that sunset provision and make the fee permanent.
Requested by the Select Board. Recommended by the Finance Committee and the Select Board.
Article 19: Allow lien on unpaid sewer charges
Vote required: Majority
Voting “yes” on the article would allow the town to place liens on properties with unpaid sewer charges. The sewer district encompasses about 100 properties, including eight town-owned buildings and 13 nonresidential buildings in and around town center. According to Harvard’s financial director, the total outstanding balance for unpaid sewer bills as of Feb 28 is $8,145.88.
Requested by the Select Board. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Select Board member Ahmet Corapcioglu addresses the crowd at last fall’s town meeting. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Article 20: Alter the layouts of Ayer Road, Gebo Lane, and Poor Farm Road (portions)
Vote required: Majority
As part of Ayer Road’s $12 million reconstruction, two intersections will be realigned for safety and traffic flow. The Select Board has already signed the engineering plans. Town Meeting must now accept them for the reconstruction project—which is scheduled to go to bid in June—to advance.
The skewed-angle intersection of Gebo Lane and Ayer Road will be realigned to a T, and a left-turn lane from Ayer Road onto Gebo will be added. As part of that reconfiguration, the front exit from the post office onto Ayer Road will be eliminated; cars will exit the post office onto Lancaster County Road and enter Ayer Road via Gebo Lane.
The other intersection slated for reconstruction is the three-way convergence of Poor Farm Road, Ayer Road, and Lancaster County Road. The short section of Lancaster County Road that is now part of that intersection will be eliminated and given over to the walking-biking path to be installed as part of the larger project. The intersection of Ayer and Poor Farm roads will be reconstructed at a right angle.
MassDOT approved funding for the project in 2018 and unveiled plans to reconfigure the two intersections at a public hearing in 2022. The Select Board voted to approve that plan, with minor modifications, in June of that year.
Requested by the Select Board. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Article 21: Acquire fee and easement interests on Ayer Road
Vote required: Majority
The project to renovate Ayer Road from the Route 2 interchange to the Ayer town line is expected to go out to bid by the end of June, but the town must first finalize temporary and permanent easements with about eight property owners, according to interim Town Administrator Dawn Dunbar. Voting for this article will let the town complete the land acquisitions and put the project out to bid. Most of the land still under negotiation is needed for the pedestrian-bicycle path, which will run along the post office side of the road, Dunbar said.
Money for design work and for the land acquisitions was previously approved: $750,000 at last fall’s Special Town Meeting and a total of $500,000 approved at Town Meetings over the past six years. The cost of construction, which was last estimated at $12 million, will be covered by state and federal funds.
Requested by the Select Board. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Article 22: Revise charge of the cable committee
Vote required: Majority
The Community Cable Access Committee is asking the town to change its name to the Community Media Access Committee, and to revise its charge. Originally established in 1996, the committee’s main responsibilities were to oversee cable agreements in town and regulate the use of town cable channels. The new charge seeks to update the language to include the broader media landscape of the 21st century and include the many responsibilities within its purview. It also seeks to increase membership of the board to five primary appointees and two alternates.
Requested by the Cable Committee. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Article 23: Application for Land and Water Conservation Fund grant program and acceptance of grant
Vote required: Majority
This article, if approved, accepts a federal grant of $1 million from the National Park Service. Park and Recreation Director Anne McWaters applied for and won the grant, and the money will go towards the Harvard Park track reconstruction. On completion, any unused grant money will transfer to the Community Preservation Committee for future projects.
Requested by the Park and Recreation Commission. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Article 24: Adopt M.G.L. chapter 59, section 5, clauses 22I and 22J – the HERO Act
Vote required: Majority
This article asks Town Meeting to adopt measures that would allow Harvard to increase allowable property tax exemptions for veterans via a yearly cost-of-living adjustment. Exemptions are available to some veterans and their spouses and for some surviving parents and spouses of active duty military personnel who died during or due to military service. Veterans can file yearly for the exemption through the town assessor’s department. Clause 22I addresses the “inflation gap” by allowing municipalities to tie annual exemption increases to the Consumer Price Index. The HERO Act, “Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Servicemembers and Veterans,” was passed by the Massachusetts Legislature in August 2024.
Details about who is eligible and how to apply for exemptions are available from the assessors at Town Hall. For an overview, see “Taxpayer’s Guide to Local Property Tax Exemptions,” a booklet issued by the state’s Department of Revenue, Division of Local Services.
Requested by the Select Board. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Article 25: Lease for solar farm
Vote required: Two-thirds
Article 25 would enable town officials to lease the town’s 13.5-acre former gravel pit on Stow Road to solar developer Solect Energy. Solect would then construct, own, and operate a 1.4 MW solar farm—without battery storage—at the site and provide Harvard with energy credits. Harvard would use the credits to offset its municipal energy costs. Solect would remove the equipment at the end of an expected 20-year lease. The town’s Energy Advisory Committee organized the project as part of its charter to reduce energy consumption and costs for town buildings, vehicles, and equipment, aligning with goals of the town’s 2022 Climate Action Plan.
Solect Energy was matched with Harvard though PowerOptions, a nonprofit that helps New England municipalities vet potential partners and secures favorable terms for their energy contracts.
Under a credit purchase agreement between Solect and Harvard, the town would save about $123,000 yearly for an estimated savings of $2.3 million over a 20-year period, according to the committee. Savings are based on a projected yearly electricity cost of $430,000. Built into the calculation are PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) payments, lease payments, and $1.2 million worth of federal investment tax credits.
The town can capture the federal incentives only if it enters a credit purchase agreement with Solect by July 4. Without the 30% reimbursement tax incentives, the project as currently designed is not financially viable, committee members said.
Town Meeting must pass Articles 25, 26, and 27 if plans for the solar farm are to advance, since neither the land nor the zoning for the solar farm would be in place. If Article 25 fails and Articles 26 and 27 pass, proponents told the Press they would try to revise the proposal and bring it back to Town Meeting in either the fall (if a fall meeting is scheduled) or in spring 2027. That plan would not feature the federal tax credits that defrayed the solar farm’s $4 million cost by $1.2 million.
Requested by the Select Board. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Article 26: Amend protective bylaw–large-scale ground mounted solar photovoltaic facilities overlay district
Vote required: Two-thirds
Article 26 would add two town-owned parcels, both on Stow Road, to the town’s existing two-parcel solar overlay district. It would also update setbacks to residential areas and add requirements for site plan review pertaining to public hearings, screening, and noise.
The first proposed addition is the town’s former gravel pit, much of it forested, but with the open portion used to deposit brush and logs cleared from other parts of town. It backs up to Jacob Gates Lane.
The second proposed addition to the solar district is a vacant 32-acre parcel known as the Warila land. It sits near Interstate 495 and is mapped for state-listed endangered species, according to MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.
The current solar overlay district consists of the 10-acre former landfill near the Transfer Station and the Harvard Solar Garden—an existing ground-mounted installation—on Ayer Road behind Kennedy’s Landscaping. Although former landfills can be ideal locations for solar farms, Harvard’s is not currently safe for construction. It is contaminated with the forever chemicals known as PFAS and is under study by MassDEP. The process of cleanup and recapping is expected to take several years.
Voting “yes” adds the two additional Stow Road parcels for a total of four properties in the solar overlay district. Voting “no” leaves the district at two parcels, as described above.
Requested by the Planning Board. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Article 27: Amend the large-scale ground mounted solar photovoltaic facilities overlay district zoning map
Vote required: Two-thirds
Voting for this article would add the two parcels of land described in Article 26 to the solar overlay district map.
Requested by the Planning Board. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Article 28: Amend protective bylaw to add section 125-61, town center overlay district
Vote required: Two-thirds
The Planning Board voted April 16 to make a motion on the floor of Town Meeting to take no action on this article. See page 1 for more information.
Passing this article would create a new overlay district for the town center, encompassing 87 lots. It would make it easier for property owners to renovate, expand, and change the use of their properties. Currently, renovations and expansions are strictly limited, and a change in use is even more difficult. This has been the case since 1967, when the town enacted agricultural-residential zoning for much of the town, including town center. Tailored to minimum 1.5-acre lots, this zoning made most town center parcels (schools are exempt) into “legally existing nonconformities.” As such, they require special permits for simple alterations and variances to build garages, additions, or other accessory structures. Many lots are too small to meet the existing setback requirements; variances are rarely granted.
This bylaw would create setbacks that reflect existing conditions, creating standards proportional to the center’s small lots. It would allow specific commercial and mixed uses, including multifamily homes with up to four units per structure, and certain businesses on the first floor of a house.
In addition to the Planning Board, other groups will continue to regulate what is built. The Zoning Board of Appeals must approve accessory dwelling units larger than 900 square feet; the Water and Sewer Commissions will continue to enforce the “growth neutrality” regulation as it pertains to sewer capacity; and the Historical Commission will retain authority over changes in buildings’ designs or materials in the overlapping part of the town center’s historical district.
Requested by the Planning Board. The Select Board voted 4-1 against recommending this article. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Article 29: Amend the protective bylaw 125-42 zoning map
Vote required: Two-thirds
The article defines the boundaries of the proposed town center overlay district created by Article 28. It encompasses 87 lots and 108 acres, of which 58 acres are either in conservation or municipally owned.
Requested by the Planning Board. The Select Board voted 4-1 against recommending the associated bylaw, Article 28. The Finance Committee did not take a position.
Article 30: Amend the protective bylaw, Article X, sections 125-70 through 125-72 form-based code
Vote required: Two-thirds
Last fall, Town Meeting approved new zoning for the town’s commercial district, which runs along Ayer Road from the Route 2 interchange to Myrick Lane. The bylaw was written according to a newer method of representing zoning regulations called form-based code, in which parameters are specified by diagrams and illustrations instead of just on fixed ratios, such as floor area. Size limits and uses are specified, but within parameters prioritizing attractive, clustered, pedestrian-friendly developments with parking in the back over boxy, industrial-looking buildings with prominent parking lots.
Article 30 is on the warrant to correct an oversight from last fall’s Town Meeting. A handout detailing several changes to the code was available in the lobby at Cronin Auditorium, but it was not mentioned in the motion to accept the warrant article. The May 2 Town Meeting must vote on the provisions that were omitted from the motion. The provisions relate to effective dates for applications and building permits in relation to the new zoning code; tweaks to the landscaping requirements along the street and in parking lots; and density bonuses for developers when they make 15% of the units affordable.
Requested by the Planning Board. Recommended by the Select Board. The Finance Committee did not take a position.