By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — With a $5 million operating budget override of Proposition 2 ½ for fiscal year 2026 headed to Spring Town Meeting, Town Administrator Rob Dolan will be discussing the proposal during a series of meetings.
Dolan said during the Select Board’s March 20 meeting that he will be presenting the FY26 operating budget to the Finance Committee on Thursday, March 27, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Senior Center. He said the Select Board and the Finance Committee’s annual joint public hearing on the proposed operating and capital budgets for FY26 will take place on Monday, March 31, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Al Merritt Center.
If residents have any questions about the override, Dolan said townspeople can email their questions to questions@lynnfieldma.gov. He will be answering the questions in taped segments that will air on Lynnfield Media Studios’ stations and the town’s Vimeo page at https://vimeo.com/user36270762. He said the names of the people who ask the questions will remain anonymous.
“The citizens of Lynnfield can ask me any question they want about the override,” said Dolan. “We will cite the question and I will answer it either myself or I will bring a department head. Send those questions in.”
Dolan will be discussing the override during a joint Summer Street School PTO and Huckleberry Hill PTO meeting on Tuesday, April 1, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Summer Street all-purpose room.
Additionally, Dolan will be holding question-and-answer sessions at the Meeting House. He said a morning session will take place from 8-10 a.m. on Thursday, April 10 and an evening session will take place on Thursday, April 17 from 6-8 p.m.
Dolan also said he will be giving a budget presentation on Thursday, April 10, taking place at 7 p.m. in the Lynnfield Middle School auditorium.
The town administrator and representatives from the Assessing Department will be holding a seminar on senior tax exemptions on Thursday, April 24 from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. at the Meeting House.
“I will have the Assessing Team there to answer any question you have on how this will affect you and what programs you can benefit from,” said Dolan.
Assistant Town Administrator Bob Curtin noted that Spring Town Meeting has been moved to Tuesday, April 29.
“Under state law, all you need to do to move an Annual Town Meeting is change the date on the warrant,” said Curtin.
If Spring Town Meeting approves sending the $5 million override to a town-wide ballot vote, a Special Town Election will take place on Wednesday, June 4 in the Lynnfield High School gym.
“We will cut or we will add at the direction of the citizens of Lynnfield, and we will do it to the best of our abilities,” said Dolan. “My hope is that this question will be allowed to be put on the ballot.”