Whitman Select Board approves June 11 special town meeting warrant with three articles

WHITMAN -- May 27, 2025, Whitman Select Board approves June 11 special town meeting warrant and hears stark budget figures after override vote. The board unanimously signed a three-article warrant covering a revised fiscal year 2026 budget and two collective bargaining placeholders for police and fire unions, and voted to appoint Sharon La Piccolo as temporary treasurer-collector. Town Administrator Sean Cotter told the board the school district has been asked to cut $1,064,765 from its original budget proposal while the town side absorbs a cut of just under $1 million, leaving the district with a roughly 4.01 percent budget increase against a 1.62 percent increase for municipal departments. Of the approximately $830,000 in new fiscal year 2026 revenue available, $781,000 is allocated to the schools, a figure Cotter called "the lion's share." Cotter said he expects Superintendent Jeff Simonak to present the proposal to the School Committee on June 4 ahead of the June 11 vote.