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Tax Override Information
Stoneham Residential Override Tax Calculator
Start typing your address or enter your assessed property value to estimate your FY2026 override tax impact.
* Intended to be used to project impact on the tax bills of proposed override and should be used as a guide ONLY.
* Does NOT include normal 2.5% levy increase allowed under Proposition 2 ½.
Special Election
December 9, 2025
Town Hall Auditorium
Polling Hours 7AM to 8 PM
Introduction
There will be a Special Election held on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. The Select Board recognizes the town's critical financial needs, which require a $12.5 million override to maintain essential services. Understanding the concerns expressed by many residents who advocated for a lower number to be placed on the ballot, the Select Board has voted to place two separate override questions before the voters:
Question 1: Shall the Town of Stoneham be allowed to assess an additional $12,500,000 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding public safety, education, council on aging, public works, library and general government expenses for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026?
Question 2: Shall the Town of Stoneham be allowed to assess an additional $9,300,000 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding public safety, education, council on aging, public works, library and general government expenses for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026?
Should neither question pass, the town will face immediate and unavoidable financial hardships.
The failure to secure this necessary funding will require the Select Board and Town Meeting to make significant and painful cuts. When considering voting, residents should evaluate the potential results of a failed override vote:
Drastic Reductions in Services: This will include cuts to essential public safety (Police/Fire staffing), a reduction in school programs and teaching positions, limitations on public works maintenance (e.g., slower road and sidewalk repairs, reduced snow removal priority), and jeopardize the Library, Senior Center, Recreation and Ice Arena operations—any service not mandated by law.
Layoffs and Personnel Cuts: Critical town and school positions will be eliminated, directly impacting the quality and availability of services residents rely on daily.
Use of Free Cash/Reserves (if any): Any available reserves that were relied on to stabilize in Fiscal Year 2026 have been used and are not available again. Further use of reserve fund balances reduces the Town’s ability to address capital needs and emergencies, and threatens the Town’s bond rating—which could result in higher interest rates when borrowing, creating an additional financial strain.
An override is a permanent increase in taxes that is voted on by residents. If approved, it would remain in place unless there was a subsequent underride vote.
Proposition 2½ is a Massachusetts law enacted in 1980 that limits the amount of property tax revenue a municipality can raise through taxes. This revenue is called the tax levy.
Prop 2½ also limits how much the tax levy can be increased from year to year. The maximum amount a community can levy in any given year is called the levy limit.
Prop 2½ caps the tax levy at a 2.5 percent increase based on the value of all taxable commercial and residential property in the Town, as well as new growth.
A community can permanently increase the levy limit through overrides with a majority vote by ballot.
Learn more with the Levy Limits: A Primer on Proposition 2½ fact sheet from the Division of Local Services (DLS) or on the Proposition 2½ and Tax Rate Process state webpage.
While an override results in a permanent tax increase that is used to fund recurring operational expenses, debt exclusions result in an increased property tax levy for a defined period to pay for capital projects.
For debt exclusions, the debt service costs are added to the levy limit for the life of the debt only. Debt exclusions do not become part of the base used to calculate future years’ levy limits. Once the construction debt is paid off, the cost is removed from property owners’ tax bills.
| Municipality | 2023 Population | FY 2025 Single Family Tax Bill | 2018 Total Road Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 26,886 | $18,775 | 84.80 |
| Danvers | 27,896 | $7,619 | 126.14 |
| Melrose | 29,357 | $8,095 | 82.09 |
| North Reading | 16,054 | $11,116 | 93.82 |
| Reading | 25,428 | $10,148 | 101.21 |
| Stoneham | 22,854 | $7,834 | 80.29 |
| Wakefield | 27,810 | $8,048 | 104.79 |
| Wilmington | 23,148 | $8,048 | 126.71 |
| Winchester | 22,837 | $17,695 | 91.69 |
| Winthrop | 18,319 | $7,196 | 39.89 |
| Woburn | 41,647 | $5,981 | 153.64 |
| Municipality | Fiscal Year | Vote Date | Win / Loss | Yes Votes | No Votes | Vote Type | Department | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stoneham | 1991 | 4/1/1990 | LOSS | 2,213 | 2,602 | Override | GENERAL OPERATING | Schools And Council On Aging | $592,000 |
| Stoneham | 1991 | 4/1/1990 | LOSS | 2,006 | 2,827 | Override | PUBLIC WORKS & FACILITIES | Collection Of Solid Waste | $1,100,000 |
| Stoneham | 1993 | 4/2/1992 | LOSS | 848 | 3,602 | Override | PUBLIC SAFETY | Asses Addit Funds For Police Department | $70,000 |
| Stoneham | 1993 | 4/2/1992 | LOSS | 1,327 | 3,352 | Override | CULTURE AND RECREATION | Additional Funds For Public Library | $97,000 |
| Stoneham | 1993 | 4/2/1992 | LOSS | 1,336 | 3,333 | Override | PUBLIC WORKS & FACILITIES | Collection And Disposal Of Solid Waste | $550,000 |
| Stoneham | 2008 | 6/19/2007 | LOSS | 2,699 | 2,936 | Override | GENERAL GOVERNMENT | Funding Of Town And School Operations | $3,000,000 |
| Stoneham | 2012 | 4/5/2011 | LOSS | 842 | 1,892 | Override | GENERAL OPERATING | Funding Town And School Budgets | $1,900,000 |
| Stoneham | 2026 | 4/1/2025 | LOSS | 2,909 | 3,432 | Override | GENERAL GOVERNMENT | To Fund Schools and General Government | $14,600,000 |
Temporary Tax Deferral Due to Financial Hardship Clause 18A guidelines and applications are not provided by following this link. For more information on this temporary deferral, please contact the Assessor's Office at 781.279.2640.
For questions on tax exemptions available to qualifying seniors and veterans, please contact the Assessor's Office at 781.279.2640 during Town Hall business hours.
GUIDELINES & APPLICATION INFORMATION FOR SENIORS
Veterans interested in more information on the program may contact Veterans Agent Kevin Welch at 781.279.2664 or kwelch@stoneham-ma.gov.