Above: I’m making it easier for Southborough voters’ to learn about their choices on the ballot this spring — Select Board candidates and Ballot Questions. (images edited from video and sample ballot)
The Annual Town Election takes place a week from today. Here’s an overview of what you need to know to prepare to vote..
Candidates
There is only one contested race on this year’s ballot. Three candidates are running for two seats on the Select Board:
- Marguerite Landry (incumbent) — Candidate’s Statement
- Andrew Pfaff (challenger) — Candidate’s Statement
- Sam Stivers (challenger) — Candidate’s Statement
(You can also pull up all of the Candidate’s Statements here.)
You can watch what they had to say when they faced the public at Candidates Night last week here or in the embedded video below:
(Or you can read my recap of the night here.)
For the full ballot with all of the candidates, click here. For info on uncontested candidates who will be taking on new roles, click here.
Ballot Questions
The ballot will also ask voters to pass four proposition 2½ debt exclusions (not overrides). The votes would allow future debt payments on borrowing for specific projects to be exempt from the cap on raising the tax levy.
Those exemption questions are for:
- Replacing Neary School’s roof
- Exemption on the $4.5M borrowing to replace Neary’s failing roof
- Borrowing approved by March Town Meeting voters
- This is the one project on the ballot that should move forward even if the vote fails. Given the dire condition of the roof — officials purposely didn’t hinge this borrowing on a debt exemption vote. But if the vote fails, it will create a fiscal problem for the Town with no clearly stated answer of how officials would deal with it.
- Replacing Trottier Middle School’s roof (borrowing approved by Annual Town Meeting voters)
- Exemption on the $5.4M borrowing for Southborough’s share of replacing Trottier’s failing roof
- Borrowing approved by Annual Town Meeting voters, contingent on this ballot vote passing.
- Implementing the Town’s Road Improvement Plan
- Exemption on the $22.26M borrowing for engineering and roadwork to improve Town roads. The project is based on a five year road plan that will be updated annually.
- Borrowing approved by Annual Town Meeting voters, contingent on this ballot vote passing
- Installing Sidewalks
- Exemption on the $2.75M borrowing for construction of 4 stretches of sidewalks within the next year (on Parkerville Road, Richard’s Road, Woodland Road, and Oak Hill Road).
- Borrowing approved by Annual Town Meeting voters, contingent on this ballot vote passing.
Before voting, some property owners may be concerned about the tax impacts. All of the above projects were included in Town officials’ projections for FY27 tax increases presented to Annual Town Meeting voters. You can read about that here.
Voting
The polls will be open for the Annual Town Election on Tuesday May 12th from 6:30 am to 8:00 pm. As usual, all three precincts will vote in the Trottier Middle School’s Gym at 49 Parkerville Road.
Today is the last day to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot. (But voters also have until noon on Monday, May 11th to request an absentee ballot. So you can contact the Town Clerk to learn about that option.)
For voters who received but have yet to return your mail-in ballot, make sure to get it in by the end of voting.1:
- If you’re mailing the ballot from afar, be sure to post it soon.
If you’re in town, you can also drop it in person well before 8:00 pm next Tuesday:
- Drop it directly in the Town Clerk’s election Ballot Drop Box at the Town House, 17 Common Street. (See image right.)
- DO NOT use the Town’s other drop-box for other documents.
- And DO NOT bring your mail-in ballot to Trottier on Tuesday. (If you decide to vote in person instead, just leave the mail-in ballot at home.)
Whatever method you use to vote, you will need to identify your precinct. You can find that info on the Town Clerk’s site here. (And there are always helpers at Trottier on election day.)
If you have any questions, please reach out directly to the Town Clerk’s office at 508-485-0710, ext. 3005.
Updated (5/8/26 4:48 pm): I added a link to my Candidates Night recap.
Regarding the Neary Roof you indicated that the consequences of a No vote were unclear. Actually, I believe they fairly clear.
First, regardless of the vote at the polls, the Neary Roof will get fixed and the immediate impact on your tax bill will be the same. The question at the polls is, quite literally, how to account for the debt service. This is more important that it might seem.
The debt service is likely to be on the order of between $250,000 and $350,000 depending on the final scope of the project and the length of the borrowing. The impact of the debt service will be modest in FY ’27 (7/26 – 6/27) with the full impact in FY ’28 (7/27-6/28). The question is whether this amount will be exempted when the Prop 2.5 levy limit is calculated. The “Levy Limit ” is the maximum amount of taxes that can be raised each year without a Prop. 2.5 override. Each year the Levy Limit increases by 2.5% + the taxes due on “New Growth”.
It is quite likely, given the current trajectory of our budget, that we will have to have a Prop 2.5 override in the near future. Probably in the next 1-3 years.
A YES VOTE would exempt the debt service from being included in the part of the budget that is subject to the Levy Limit. A yes vote will reduce the pressure on the levy limit and might delay the timing of a Prop 2.5 override.
A NO VOTE would place the debt service in the regular budget which is subject to the Prop. 2.5. The result would put increased pressure during the budget process to put a Prop 2.5 override on the ballot sooner rather than later, quite possibly as early as next May in support of the FY ’28 budget.
A Prop 2.5 override is not a disaster; it is part of the democratic process. Most years the 150-200 people that make the commitment to attend Town Meeting decide your taxes by voting to approve or amend the proposed budget. A Prop 2.5 override vote expands the pool of people who get a say in part of the increase in our taxes to the set of people who get to the polls. This is a good thing. It may be uncomfortable for those who support the status quo but we should celebrate giving the voters an opportunity to make their voices heard.
The Neary roof will be fixed either way you vote.
https://www.mysouthborough.com/2011/06/21/selectmen-decide-not-to-reappoint-zoning-board-chairman/ We need fresh ideas regarding BOS and not a career politician.