By Dave Watkins
Wayland voters will participate in a special election on Thursday, December 11, 2025, to decide whether the remaining debt for the Department of Public Works (DPW) facility should continue to be paid within the town’s annual operating budget or be shifted outside the Proposition 2½ levy limit. Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and all precincts will vote at the Wayland Town Building Gymnasium, 41 Cochituate Road.
The question does not authorize new spending or projects. It addresses how the town manages existing debt and how much room remains in the annual budget for municipal and school operations.
Why This Question Matters for Budget Planning
- Under Proposition 2½, Wayland’s operating budget has a strict cap on how much revenue the town can raise each year. The town’s Budget Working Group, along with the Town Manager and Finance Director, has noted that Wayland is approaching this cap faster than in past years, largely due to rising municipal costs and limited revenue growth.
- The DPW facility, constructed in 2013, continues to carry approximately $5.2 million in outstanding debt with annual payments of roughly $700,000. Because this debt is currently paid within the operating budget as “levy debt,” it takes up a sizable portion of the restricted levy limit.
Why Levy Capacity Matters Logistically
- Levy capacity is the space available within the Proposition 2½ limit to fund the budget. When more capacity is available:
- The town has more flexibility to absorb unavoidable cost increases (utilities, health insurance, contractual obligations, special education costs).
- Budget planning becomes more stable, with fewer last-minute cuts required to meet the state-imposed levy limit.
- Department needs, school operations, safety staffing, road maintenance, technology upgrades can be evaluated more predictably rather than with rigid constraints.
- The town can prepare the FY27 budget earlier and more accurately, reducing the likelihood of emergency measures or a large Proposition 2½ override in the spring.
- When levy capacity is tight, as it is now, even relatively small increases in normal operating expenses may require cuts elsewhere, deferrals, or override consideration.
- This ballot question asks voters whether the DPW debt should continue consuming part of this limited space or be shifted outside that limit through an excluded-debt mechanism.
What the Ballot Question Asks
- “Shall the Town of Wayland be allowed to exempt from the provisions of Proposition 2½ the remaining amounts required to pay for the bond issued for construction of the DPW facility, as authorized at the November 2013 Special Town Meeting?”
- This question affects the classification of existing debt only. It is not a Proposition 2½ override.
What a “Yes” Vote Would Do
A “Yes” vote would:
- Move the remaining DPW debt payments outside the levy limit as excluded debt.
- Increase the town’s available levy capacity by approximately $700,000 per year until the debt is retired in 2035.
- Provide the town more budgetary flexibility when planning Fiscal Year 2027 and subsequent budgets.
- Leave FY2026 tax bills unchanged.
- Automatically remove the excluded debt from tax bills once the payments end.
Logistical Impact of a “Yes” Vote
- More room in the operating budget to absorb normal year-to-year cost increases.
- Reduced pressure on municipal and school departments to make mid-year adjustments or cuts to stay under the levy limit.
- More reliable forecasting during the budget process, since required debt payments no longer compete for limited levy space.
- Alignment with typical municipal practice, where large facility projects are normally funded as excluded debt rather than levy debt.
What a “No” Vote Would Do
- A “No” vote would:
- Keep the DPW debt inside the existing levy limit as levy debt.
- Maintain current constraints on how much the town can fit within the Proposition 2½ limit.
- Not affect FY2026 tax bills.
Logistical Impact of a “No” Vote
- The operating budget must continue absorbing the $700,000 annual payment.
- This reduces the capacity available for cost increases in municipal and school budgets.
- If revenues and fixed costs outpace available levy space, town officials have indicated that a future Proposition 2½ override may need to be considered to balance the FY27 budget.
- An override, if proposed and passed, would permanently increase the tax levy limit.
Election Information
Voter Registration Deadline
- Monday, December 1 at 5 p.m. (in person)
- Online registration available until 11:59 p.m.
Vote-by-Mail Application Deadline
- Thursday, December 4 at 5 p.m.
In-Person Early Voting (Town Clerk’s Office)
- Friday, Dec. 5: 8:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
- Monday, Dec. 8: 8:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 9: 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Returning Vote-by-Mail Ballots
Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on December 11.
The secure drop box at Town Building is recommended, especially for Election Day returns.
For a sample ballot, complete FAQs, and additional information, visit the Town Clerk’s webpage or contact 508-358-3630 or townclerk@wayland.ma.us.
