Whitman Select Board Votes to Pursue Library Override, Sparing Police and Fire

WHITMAN — March 24, 2026 — Whitman Select Board will ask voters to approve a Proposition 2½ override to keep the public library open, with closure the explicit consequence if the ballot measure fails. After more than an hour of debate over three competing scenarios presented by Town Accountant Mary Beth Carter — a public safety override of roughly $450,000, a library override of approximately $475,000, or a free-cash draw Carter warned would push the fiscal year 2028 deficit past $1.1 million — the board voted 4-1 to frame the override around the library, shielding police and fire from cuts. Carter said a $475,000 override would cost the owner of an average Whitman home, assessed at $516,263, about $96 per year. Member Carl Kowalski read state guidance warning that library decertification can take two to ten years to reverse and would immediately strip the town of $47,574 in annual state aid. The board must file any override article with the town clerk by April 9 and meets next on April 7 to finalize the dollar amount.