WORTHINGTON – With projected revenues falling short of expenditures, the town is “certainly” headed for an override, Select Board Chair Charley Rose said last week.

According to the chair of the town’s Finance Committee, Joe Boudreau, the override currently amounts to $198,000 – a number he said remains a “moving target.” Rose projects shortfalls could total between $200,000 and $300,000.

“It’s hard to zero in on an exact amount,” said Boudreau, as officials wait to see the results for June 7’s annual Town Meeting and also for cherry sheets from the state clarifying how much the town will be receiving in state aid.

At present, the town’s budget has not been calculated, and is unclear.

As the Select Board’s executive assistant Peggy O’Neal said, “We don’t really know how much we’re going to get from state aid yet, so we don’t know how much in the hole we will be.”

The wait for numbers from the state could take as long until the first week of July, said Boudreau.

The town will call a special Town Meeting with a ballot vote for the community to approve the override after an exact amount has been calculated. This meeting will take place after June 7 but before November when the town needs to finalize its tax rate, said Boudreau, adding that it will probably take place well ahead of November.

Community members will receive notice 35 days before the vote.

The Select Board and Finance Committee have held a series of joint meetings to assess the town’s cherry sheets for fiscal 2026. Those meetings will continue to be held in coming weeks as officials wrestle with the override.

Board members say inflation is the main cause of the financial hole.

“We can’t go over 2½ percent,” said Rose, referring to state law that prevents communities from raising taxes above this number. “And inflation has been much higher than that.”

The town has yet to calculate how much of a tax increase residents would face if they accept the override in the special Town Meeting vote.

However, if the town’s voters reject the override it may mean the chopping block for some town resources.

Education, followed by expenses for the highway department, remain the highest ticket items on the town budget. Boudreau said at present it is too early to consider what may happen, but cuts to the school, or the highway department reducing an employee may result.

Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com.