Dunstable Boards Reject Second Override Bid, Brace for FY25 Budget Cuts

DUNSTABLE — April 16, 2024 — Dunstable's Select Board and Advisory Board jointly rejected a proposal to place a municipal-only Proposition 2½ override question on the May 2024 ballot. Select Board member Ronald Mikol opened the meeting arguing that the recently failed override — rejected roughly two-to-one — was driven by voter opposition to school spending, not municipal services, and that a stripped-down municipal question could appear on the already-scheduled ballot at no added cost. Chair Leah D. Basbanes and a majority of Advisory Board members pushed back, noting the town had asked voters for an override — once municipal-only, once combined with school district needs — and been refused both times. Members warned that returning again so quickly would signal to voters that the original ask was merely an opening bid. The town's stabilization fund sits at an estimated $300,000 to $350,000, the state has previously warned Dunstable to stop relying on free cash, and officials flagged a potential Moody's credit rating review as early as August 2024. The boards' consensus: absorb the cuts in FY25 and build toward a stronger combined override request in fiscal year 2026.