Acton Town Meeting Approves $128 Million in School and Municipal Budgets for FY2027

ACTON -- May 4, 2026, Acton's Annual Town Meeting approved more than $128 million in combined school and municipal spending for fiscal year 2027 and authorized $2.75 million in borrowing to replace the failed heating and cooling systems at Town Hall. Select Board member Alyssa Nickell presented the $42,322,565 municipal operating budget, a 3 percent increase, while Select Board member David Martin argued the Town Hall HVAC borrowing, replacing a boiler and chiller dating to an 1863 building, is less expensive than a gas alternative after a $1 million state Climate Leader Community grant, with a projected annual impact of $137,811 to the operating budget. Town meeting also approved the $82,830,682 Acton-Boxborough Regional School District assessment, a 4.75 percent increase tied to the closure of Conant elementary school and a district-wide restructuring that School Committee Chair Tori Campbell said will save $17 million over 10 years as high-needs students now represent 33 percent of enrollment. Finance Committee Chair Sullivan warned the town faces a projected $30 million multi-year deficit and called on residents to demand cost reduction as the Select Board's top priority, saying "never in my professional career have I been put in a position to provide such an important number without having the opportunity to do the analysis."