On Tuesday, November 28, at Hopkinton Middle School, polls will be open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and Hopkinton voters will decide the financial fate of the Elmwood School Replacement project.
The project received the approval of 72% of voters at at the Special Town Meeting on November 13, but that warrant article merely sought approval for the town to raise the funds to construct the school. Tomorrow’s ballot question specifically authorizes a Proposition 2½ override to appropriate the $91 million required to complete the project.
Massachusetts Proposition 2½, passed in 1980, is a law that restricts the ability of municipalities in Massachusetts to increase property taxes. It sets a limit on the total amount of property tax revenue that a city or town can levy, based on their 1981 tax levels. Each year, the total property tax levy cannot exceed the previous year’s levy by more than 2.5%, unless voters approve a larger increase through an override vote.
The sole question of tomorrow’s ballot is “Shall the Town of Hopkinton be allowed to be exempt from the provisions of Proposition two-and-one-half, so called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds issued in order to design, construct, and furnish the new Hopkinton Elmwood Elementary, located on the Hayden Rowe site at 147 Hayden Rowe, for 1195 students in grades 2-4, inclusive of all building, mechanical systems along with associated site work improvements?“
Whereas the question at Town Meeting required 2/3 of voters for approval, tomorrow’s ballot measure needs only a simple majority to pass.
If approved, the project will have a significant long-term impact on Hopkinton taxpayers. HopNews has created an interactive tax calculator that displays your personal tax increase over the next 10 years, should the Elmwood School project be approved. It also factors in 10 years of projected town operating expense increases (salaries, benefits, public safety, DPW, etc.).
What it does not include is a calculation for capital projects that have been requested but not approved by Hopkinton voters. The Appropriations Committee previously published a lengthy list of requests, which include estimates for Center School work, a Middle School renovation, a Hopkins School addition, and 26 other projects that are under $10 million combined.
The calculator is straightforward. Readers just need to supply the assessed value of their home and the calculator does the rest.
>> DOWNLOAD THE INTERACTIVE TAX CALCULATOR (requires Excel)
If the measure passes the construction will commence in 2024. If the measure fails the project will effectively be scuttled, and will likely not be reconsidered for several years, according to Elementary School Building Committee chair Jon Graziano.
