Following the passing of the $4M and $6.5M override budgets at Town Meeting on May 28th, the Select Board voted tonight to schedule a Special Election for Saturday, July 13 from 8am - 5pm at the Norton Middle School and include both amounts on the ballot.  Absentee voting will also be available.   We will post a specimen ballot on this website once it is available.   Separately, the Select Board voted to also add the Fire Department exit from Civil service question to this Special Election.

At the Annual Town Meeting, a number of articles were voted upon, and all three of the budgets in the Budget article, the "1%" budget, the "4M override" budget and "6.5M override" budget, passed.   The override budgets are contingent upon the passing of ballot questions at a special election.

The next step in the process will be the Select Board which is responsible for scheduling that election and the ballot questions.   

At the May 9 Select Board Meeting, the following were shared/voted upon:

• Town Moderator Jack Conway shared that the plan is for Town Meeting to be held on Tuesday, May 28th at the Norton High School in the gymnasium, using the auditorium and cafeteria spaces as overflow locations.  Time is TBA  and will be shared no later than this coming Monday, when Town Meeting is officially continued to May 28th.  [Edited:  Time has now been set for 6pm].  Childcare is expected to be available and will use the library.

• The Select Board reconsidered their vote to schedule a Special Election for the Proposition 2 1/2 ballot question, canceling the election they had scheduled for June 8th.   A special election will now need to be scheduled following the results of Town Meeting on the $4M and $6.5M override budgets.

The Recording of last night’s Select Board meeting is up on Youtube and on our website. Everyone For Norton has been processing all that happened last night. Here is what we know:

• The SB voted 3-2 to ask for a continuance at the May 13th Town Meeting with the intent of having the Town Meeting delayed until June 15th

• The SB also voted to hold the special election on Saturday June 8th to vote on an override amount of $6.5M (omitting the $4M option).

What else do we know? 

• Neither the SB or Town Moderator can unilaterally decide to postpone the Town Meeting on 5/13. That is up to YOU the voters to decide.

• If the SB recommendations are followed, then the election would happen BEFORE the Town Meeting vote. This removes the opportunity for voters to have a voice in the conversation before a ballot vote. 

Confused? We don’t blame you–the 11th hour changes from our new leadership leave a lot of questions unanswered. 

What now? Please encourage friends to follow our Facebook page, where we will work to continue to provide you with the most up to date facts in this ever changing landscape. 

We will be posting more information and calls to action as we continue to get clarification on the process.

At the April 25th School Committee Meeting, due to the current planned budget allocation to the School Department for FY2025, it was confirmed that 43 letters will go out on Friday, April 26 to NPS teachers, staff, and administrators informing them that they are laid off, reduced hours, or transferred for the 2024-2025 school year.

29 positions will be cut across all schools. 7 positions will be reduced and 7 will be transferred (moved schools, grade, or position).   Increased fees for busing, sports, and activities were also announced.

We will update this article once it is public what specific programs or services will be impacted or eliminated.

A Joint meeting was held by the Select Board, Finance Committee, and School Committee to discuss budget options at the Yelle Gymnasium.

It included a review of the 1% budget by Superintendent of Norton Public Schools, a review of the 1% budget by the Town Manager, an explanation of the override process by Town Counsel, and a discussion on the budget overall.

After discussion by the town boards and the public, the Select Board voted unanimously to present the budget at Town Meeting with a 1% option and TWO override options, one for $4 million and one for $6.5 million.

This is no April Fool's Day prank.   Click the "FY25 BUDGET" to read the memo from the Town Manager about the FY25 Budget.

A Joint meeting was held by the Select Board, Finance Committee, and School Committee to discuss budget options at the Norton Public Library meeting room.

The meeting was well attended by the public in person and online on Zoom.   Town officials including those from Norton Public Schools, Fire, Police, Library, and members of the public provided input.   

On the agenda for the Select Board was also a vote on whether to add a Proposition 2 1/2 override ballot question on the April Town Election, a decision they would have needed to make by the following day, March 22nd as that was the deadline to get a question added to the April Town Election ballot.    Since there was insufficient information at the time of that meeting on what specific override amount should be put on the ballot, the Select Board voted to take additional time and not add the question to the April election ballot.   

Proposition 2 1/2 overrides require both approval at Town Meeting and approval on a ballot question, but the steps can be done in either order.

The planning therefore has been moving toward presenting 2 budgets to Town Meeting and if an override budget passes, then a special election would be called most likely in June.