Nearly 60 percent of voters approved Brookline’s Question 1, with 8,859 votes for yes and 5,826 voting no, according to official results shared with Boston.com.
The Town of Brookline overwhelmingly approved a tax override, avoiding cuts to hundreds of public safety jobs, school positions, and education programs, the town said.
Nearly 60 percent of voters approved Brookline’s Question 1, with 8,859 votes for yes and 5,826 voting no, according to official results shared with Boston.com.
“We protected what makes Brookline Brookline,” the Yes for Brookline campaign said on its website. “This victory means we’ve protected our schools, maintained public safety services, preserved infrastructure investments, and sustained the vital services that make Brookline an exceptional place to live.”
The overall turnout was 35 percent for the town election May 5, the results said, which is the highest turnout ever recorded in a local election in Brookline, according to Brookline.News.
The vote approved the override of the state’s Propositional 2 ½, which limits how much property taxes can go up year to year. Without the approved override, property taxes in Brookline were expected to increase about 11 percent over the next three years. With the yes vote, taxes will go up 18 percent over the next three years.
The override will amount to $23 million more tax revenue, including nearly $18 million for the Public Schools of Brookline and more than $5 million for the Town of Brookline, according to town officials.
If the override did not pass, about 240 full-time positions would have been cut from the budget. At PSB, the conservatory and middle-school World Languages programs would have been axed, and class sizes would have increased.
“A huge thank you to the voters of Brookline for saying YES to an investment in our schools, our public resources, our educators, and most importantly, our students!” the Brookline Educators Union said.
If the override failed, currently vacant police positions would have been permanently eliminated, the town said, and a fire engine would have been removed from active service, laying off 20 firefighters.
“Staffing matters. Response times matter,” the Brookline Police Union said, endorsing a yes vote ahead of the May 5 election.
Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
