In an effort to prevent eliminating dozens of town and school positions and deep cuts to the library, senior center, and ice arena, Stoneham voters on Tuesday approved a property tax hike to support spending an additional $9.3 million.
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The ballot question during the special election was the smaller of two options presented to voters, receiving 3,997 votes in favor and 3,271 votes against it. A larger amount for $12.5 million lost by less than 50 votes, according to preliminary results released Tuesday night.
The ballot question’s success marked the first time in at least 35 years that Stoneham voters approved an override on a state cap on property tax increases established under Proposition 2½ to support an operating budget, according to data compiled by the Massachusetts Division of Local Services.
The state’s property tax cap law restricts the amount of property tax revenue a community can raise annually to no more than 2.5 percent unless voters approve a higher amount.
Tuesday’s results represent a hard fought victory for town and school leaders and their supporters. The vote came less than a year after another override for an additional $14.6 million failed at the ballot box in April by a little more than 500 votes.
Related: Among the largest tax overrides in Mass. history loom in Melrose and Stoneham.
For the owner of a single-family home with an average value of $801,126, the property tax increase for the current fiscal year is estimated to be $1,041.46, according to the town’s website.
Leading up to the election, town leaders warned that rejection of both override options would cause the town to “face immediate and unavoidable financial hardships,” according to an override explainer on the town’s website.
“The failure to secure this necessary funding will require the Select Board and Town Meeting to make significant and painful cuts,” the explainer said.
Stoneham is the latest community to consider an override, as Massachusetts municipal and school district leaders grapple with escalating costs and limited revenue, which could worsen if the state slides into a recession.
Over the last three years, overrides have risen sharply with more than 170 taking place with mixed results, according to a Globe review of state data.
Lexington voters on Monday approved a temporary override to fund a new $660 million high school.
Melrose passed a $13.5 million override on Nov. 4, the largest amount ever approved by local voters in the state. But on the same day, Amesbury voters rejected a $6 million override.
Both supporters and opponents of Stoneham’s override launched spirited campaigns to sway the vote: putting up campaign signs, holding standouts, and canvassing neighborhoods.
Supporters argued that after years of budget cuts Stoneham will be forced to cut essential services if voters don’t pass one of the overrides, which ultimately could make the town a less desirable place to live.
“The override is not about luxuries, it’s about protecting the essential services that make Stoneham a strong, safe, and desirable place to live,” according to a message on Save Our Stoneham’s website.
Opponents countered that the tax increases under the overrides would make it too expensive for many families to live in Stoneham and find it troubling that town leaders would pursue the overrides so soon after the April measure failed.
“Voting NO on both keeps Stoneham affordable for everyone — seniors, working families, and residents on fixed incomes," according to a message on the website of Keep Stoneham Affordable for All Committee.
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