Bellingham Select Board Votes 4-0 to Put $4.1 Million Override on Annual Ballot

BELLINGHAM — March 16, 2026 — Bellingham Select Board votes to place $4.1 million tax override on annual election ballot. The board voted 4-0 with one abstention Monday to put a Proposition 2½ override question before voters, responding to a school budget deficit that one member called unlike anything in his nearly 15-year tenure. Superintendent Dr. Morano has warned that without the override, 36 staff positions would be cut and middle school athletics eliminated. The abstaining member cited a pending Ethics Committee opinion but signaled personal support for the measure. Residents at the public comment session, including School Committee Vice Chair Eric Warnberg of 103 Farm Street and parent Dustin G. of 43 Lilac Avenue, urged passage, with Warnberg pushing back on repeated use of the term "band-aid," calling the override "a tourniquet." The board also received word that a $959,752 federal community project funding award from Congressman Auchincloss's office was expected to arrive as soon as the following day.