Dear Editor:
I have a sense of relief thanks to the unusually low turnout for the Dec. 11 Special Election (just 6% of voters showed up to vote). It replaced the January 1999 Special Election turnout, where just 8% of registered voters cast ballots, as the lowest turnout in recent history.
In July, this paper published my letter alerting residents of several upcoming votes on extremely important town financial issues: the proposed $38+ million long-term water supply project, i.e., permanent connection to the MWRA’s water system and the upgrade of the Happy Hollow wells, one or more debt exclusion ballot questions at next spring’s Annual Town Election, and a potential Prop 2½ operating override ballot question.
Thanks to the passage of the ballot question, deferral of a portion of the town’s anticipated long-term bond financing until fall 2026, and higher than expected “new growth” for FY25, it appears a Prop 2½ operating override will not be needed to balance the FY27 operating budget. However, as noted in recent articles in this newspaper, the outlook for FY28–FY36 is grim due to structural budget issues that are not easily solved — likely requiring significant budget cuts and/or serial Prop 2½ operating overrides.
I strongly urge you to stay informed on these important budgetary and operational issues by visiting the town’s web site, viewing upcoming public meetings (or reading the Wayland Post’s summaries of those meetings), attend upcoming public forums (or viewing them on WayCAM), and talk to your neighbors and friends. Most importantly, go to the ballot box in April 2026 and vote and plan to attend the 2026 Annual Town Meeting in May 2026 and vote.
Brian O’Herlihy
Sears Road
