Frequently Asked Questions
How does an Override work?
By approving an override, the Town gains the authority to levy taxes beyond the standard annual 2.5% increment and any increase stemming from new growth. This action effectively establishes a permanent expansion of the levy ceiling, allowing the Town to allocate resources towards services and programs that align with the community's anticipated needs and preferences.
What’s the difference between an override and a debt exclusion?
While an override secures a lasting tax increase aimed at sustaining ongoing operational costs, debt exclusions offer a temporary tax increase designated to cover debt service resulting from bonding for a particular capital project, like constructing a new school.
Under debt exclusions, the debt service expenses are incorporated into the levy limit solely for the duration of the debt's lifespan, usually spanning 10 to 30 years. Consequently, unlike overrides, debt exclusions do not contribute to the foundational calculation of levy limits in subsequent years.
Hanover’s FY25 Override Proposal
Why is an override needed? How did we get here?
Similar to many Massachusetts communities, the cost of providing services to the community has outpaced the revenue growth allowed under Proposition 2 ½. The global pandemic and inflationary environment further exacerbated these budget pressures.
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds have been used over the last few years towards applicable budget costs to alleviate some of the aforementioned budgetary pressures and reduce the impact of these costs on property taxpayers. ARPA funding sunsets on December 31, 2024, meaning that beginning mid-FY25, the budget costs being funded this way will need to be funded through the operating budget.
The Town has also benefited from a grant that has covered the costs of our regional dispatch assessment (ROCC). Beginning in FY25, the grant only covers ½ of the assessment, and then the Town is on the hook for the full assessment in FY26.
The Plymouth County Retirement assessment has increased, on average, 9.5% over the last five years. That trend will continue until FY30, when the assessment is expected to be fully funded.
On the School side, special education costs have increased drastically since the pandemic. These costs saw a 30.8% and 33.3% increase in FY22 and FY23, respectively. These unprecedented increases are not something that could have been planned for or foreseen.
The South Shore Vo-Tech assessment has also increased significantly, largely due to increased Hanover student enrollment. The average increase is 14% over the last five years.
What is the size of the proposed override?
The proposed override is $6,002,330 to fund the Operating Budgets of the Town and Hanover Public Schools. If approved, the override would go into effect July 1, 2024.
Were other, lower override amounts considered?
Other lower override amounts were discussed when preparing the override budget. However, any amount lower than the $6M would require service cuts. The Select Board decided to give residents the opportunity to vote on an override budget that would maintain level services across all departments.
How much will the proposed override increase my taxes?
The average increase for the average home is estimated to be approximately $1,400. Our website has a Hanover Override Tax Impact Estimator residents can use to see their estimated impact.
What happens if the proposed override does not pass?
Please review the service level reductions to each department for Fiscal Year 2025 if the override is not approved.
School Department ($2,747,725)
- Elimination of approximately 27 teachers and 41 total positions with impact at every level
- Increased class sizes in grades 1-12. Approximately a 20% increase in class size at the elementary level
- Reduction of staffing at the secondary level that would reduce options for elective classes, Advanced Placement offerings (which will impact student GPA and college credit), as well as a negative impact on counseling and college planning services
- The override budget includes funding for two reading specialists, a special education teacher, a speech and language pathologist, and an adjustment counselor required to meet educational obligations
- Reduction of district leadership, which would lead to reduced oversight, reduced communication, safety and security concerns, and reduced support for teachers and staff
- Reduction of instructional materials, which includes a freeze on new technology and basic supplies and cuts to texts, materials, and software licenses. This would also negatively impact art, music, and athletics
- The override budget includes $174,000 in full-day kindergarten (FDK) tuition relief for families for FY25 (a savings of $1,250 per FDK student next year)
- View the School Budget Hearing Presentation for more information.
Fire Department ($178,371)
- Eliminating 1 Fire Fighter/Paramedic position
- Reduction in shift strength (from 6 to 5) = 15% of the time
- Reduction to the Call Firefighter program
Police Department ($93,828)
- One less officer on patrol at least 12hrs/day
- Reduction of civilian clerk personnel
Finance Department ($116,812)
- Elimination of 1 FTE
- Delay in financial reporting
- Elimination of any back-up support in the Finance Department
Community Services ($132,353)
- Reduction to Veterans’ Benefits
- Loss of Behavioral and Mental Health Veterans Program
Department of Public Works ($363,228)
- Stormwater budget moved to the Water Enterprise Budget
- Zero wiggle room in the budget for unanticipated costs, events, etc.
Library ($25,908)
- No increase is possible for extending Saturday hours for the summer.
Town-Wide Expenditures ($522,199)
- ½ year assessment for ROCC (Regional Dispatch) contract – added pressure on the FY26 operating budget to fully fund
When are we voting? Do I have to vote in person?
The override requires two separate votes.
The first vote is at the Annual Town Meeting on Monday, May 6, 2024, at 7:30 pm at Hanover High School. Though viewing the Annual Town Meeting online or on TV is possible, you must attend in person if you want to vote. The override vote will be part of Warrant Article 9 and requires a majority vote.
The second vote is at the Annual Town Election on Saturday, May 18, 2024. The override question will be Question 1. For the Town Election, you can vote in person on Election Day or you can vote by mail ahead of time.
You must be a registered voter in Hanover to participate in Town Meeting and the Town Election. The last day to register to vote for these events is Friday, April 26, 2024.
What happens if the override passes at Town Meeting but not at the Town Election? And vice versa?
If Town Meeting approves the override budget but the increase fails at the ballot, spending for Fiscal Year 2025 would revert to the base budget.
If Town Meeting does not approve the override budget but the increase passes at the ballot, Fiscal Year 2025 would revert to the base budget. However, this would increase the levy limit and the budget for Fiscal Year 2026 could go up to that limit, but the spending limit would again require a Town Meeting vote.
When and how often has Hanover passed overrides?
Hanover last approved an override in Fiscal Year 1998 and before that in Fiscal Year 1991. No override has been presented since.
How does Hanover compare with other communities on overrides?
According to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue Municipal Databank, a majority of our comparative communities have proposed more overrides than Hanover since 1990. Please see the table below for a breakdown by the community.
| Town | Total Override Proposals | Win | Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandwich | 11 | 5 | 6 |
| Rockland | 9 | 3 | 6 |
| Holliston | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Norwell | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Westwood | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Average | 5.1 | 2.4 | 2.7 |
| North Reading | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Pembroke | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Hanover | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Middleborough | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Wrentham | 1 | 1 | 0 |
How does Hanover compare with other communities on property tax bills?
Hanover’s average property tax bill is just about average in comparison to our comparative communities. Please see the chart below.
Town | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | Ave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Westwood | $10,312 | $10,596 | $11,026 | $11,299 | $11,789 | $12,375 | $12,438 | $13,270 | $14,934 | $11,804 |
Norwell | $9,495 | $9,838 | $10,193 | $10,499 | $10,814 | $11,312 | $11,752 | $12,202 | $12,810 | $10,810 |
North Reading | $8,241 | $8,565 | $8,782 | $9,010 | $9,381 | $9,622 | $9,888 | $10,427 | $10,725 | $9,266 |
Holliston | $7,819 | $8,092 | $8,395 | $8,497 | $8,870 | $8,915 | $9,089 | $9,303 | $9,774 | $8,625 |
Hanover | $7,581 | $7,815 | $8,002 | $8,366 | $8,731 | $8,880 | $9,046 | $9,156 | $9,416 | $8,403 |
| Average | $6,922 | $7,162 | $7,394 | $7,648 | $7,963 | $8,193 | $8,452 | $8,859 | $9,306 | $7,856 |
Wrentham | $5,920 | $6,074 | $6,310 | $6,512 | $6,743 | $6,854 | $7,177 | $7,579 | $7,780 | $6,679 |
Sandwich | $5,272 | $5,578 | $5,602 | $5,904 | $6,219 | $6,194 | $6,547 | $6,876 | $7,206 | $6,058 |
Pembroke | $5,274 | $5,420 | $5,564 | $5,762 | $5,979 | $6,169 | $6,393 | $6,827 | $7,039 | $5,934 |
Rockland | $5,042 | $5,242 | $5,442 | $5,702 | $5,843 | $6,056 | $6,516 | $6,802 | $5,869 | $5,835 |
Middleborough | $4,268 | $4,398 | $4,623 | $4,932 | $5,264 | $5,548 | $5,678 | $6,148 | $6,506 | $5,149 |
How does Hanover compare with other communities on property tax increases?
Hanover’s average increase in the average residential property tax bill over the last nine years has been below the average for our comparative communities. Please see the chart below.
Town | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | Ave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Middleborough | 3.44% | 3.05% | 5.12% | 6.68% | 6.73% | 5.40% | 2.34% | 8.28% | 5.82% | 5.21% |
Westwood | 3.13% | 2.75% | 4.06% | 2.48% | 4.34% | 4.97% | 0.51% | 6.69% | 12.54% | 4.61% |
Pembroke | 7.30% | 2.77% | 2.66% | 3.56% | 3.77% | 3.18% | 3.63% | 6.79% | 3.11% | 4.08% |
Rockland | 4.11% | 3.97% | 3.82% | 4.78% | 2.47% | 3.65% | 7.60% | 4.39% | 0.99% | 3.97% |
Average | 3.92% | 3.51% | 3.22% | 3.75% | 4.21% | 2.78% | 3.50% | 4.96% | 4.56% | 3.82% |
Norwell | 3.40% | 3.61% | 3.61% | 3.00% | 3.00% | 4.61% | 3.89% | 3.83% | 4.98% | 3.77% |
Sandwich | 1.78% | 5.80% | 0.43% | 5.39% | 5.34% | -0.40% | 5.70% | 5.03% | 4.80% | 3.76% |
Hanover | 7.72% | 3.09% | 2.39% | 4.55% | 4.36% | 1.71% | 1.87% | 1.22% | 2.84% | 3.30% |
North Reading | 2.73% | 3.93% | 2.53% | 2.60% | 4.12% | 2.57% | 2.76% | 5.45% | 2.86% | 3.28% |
Wrentham | 1.28% | 2.60% | 3.89% | 3.20% | 3.55% | 1.65% | 4.71% | 5.60% | 2.65% | 3.24% |
Holliston | 4.32% | 3.49% | 3.74% | 1.22% | 4.39% | 0.51% | 1.95% | 2.35% | 5.06% | 3.00% |
Additional Questions
Please contact the Town’s Finance Director, Chelsea Stevens, by email at chelsea.stevens@hanover-ma.gov or by phone at 781-826-5000, ext. 1037, or Town Manager Joe Colangelo by email at joseph.colangelo@hanover-ma.gov or by phone at 781-826-5000, ext. 1084.
For more information on the proposed Override Budget and the proposed Base Budget, please visit Hanover-MA.gov/Budget.
For information about abatements and exemptions and whether you qualify for one, please visit Hanover-MA.gov/Assessing.