Whitman Finance Committee eyes $1.48 million deficit as school debt costs mount

WHITMAN — February 3, 2026 — Whitman Finance Committee hears of a $1.48 million deficit and rising school construction debt costs. Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter and Treasurer-Collector Deborah Donahue presented draft fiscal year 2027 budget figures at the February 3 Finance Committee meeting, with the projected shortfall climbing to $1.48 million — and that figure does not yet include all departmental requests. The town plans to restructure Whitman Middle School debt through a combined $58 million bond anticipation note and bond transaction, with annual debt payments projected to peak at roughly $928 for a home assessed at $516,263 before declining. Plymouth County Retirement carries a $3,831,461 annual assessment, paid in a single sum to save $72,600. A South Shore Vocational Technical High School debt exclusion must also go before voters, and officials are weighing a possible operating override; both items are expected to be central at a joint Select Board and Finance Committee session scheduled for February 17. The town's core financial software is beyond end of life, with a replacement potentially costing upward of $262,000, and a hoped-for $200,000 technology grant is not available until next year.