Schools

Newton Voters Pass $11.4M Override Package

The Newton Election Commission says 32 percent of Newton's registered voters turned out for Tuesday's special election.

Updated March 13, 12:15 a.m.

The Newton voters have spoken, and they said, "yes, yes, yes."

The Newton Election Commission reported Tuesday night that Newton voters have supported Mayor Setti Warren's $11.4 million override package and all three Newton tax override questions have passed.

Find out what's happening in Newtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The three override questions that were decided in Tuesday's special municipal election included an $8.4 million operating override and two debt exclusion overrides. 

The unofficial vote totals for the three questions:

Find out what's happening in Newtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Question 1

  • Yes: 9,649
  • No: 8,199

Question 2

  • Yes: 9,904
  • No: 7,893

Question 3

  • Yes: 9,879
  • No: 7,919

A .pdf with the detailed unofficial results is included in the media section above.

According to Newton officials, the $8.4 million operating override (Question 1) will cover additional teacher salaries to handle increased student enrollment, expansion at Zervas Elementary School, four new police officers, street/sidewalk repairs, relocation of the Newton Fire Department Wires Division and the rebuilding of Fire Headquarters and Fire Station 3 in Newton Centre.

The two operating overrides (Question 2 and 3) will fund the rebuilding/renovation of Angier Elementary School and Cabot Elementary School.

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With the overrides passed, the average Newton tax bill will increase by approximately 50 cents for every $1,000 valuation of a home, according to Chief Financial Officer Maureen Lemieux. This amounts to an average of $343 per year, based on Newton's median home price of $686,000.

After the results were tallied Tuesday night, Warren told Newton Patch he was "proud" of the Newton voters for the choice they made.

"I'm really proud of our community for making an investment in our future," Warren told Newton Patch. 

Warren added that with the override support, voters are investing in the city's education, public safety and infrastructure.

"These are areas we need to protect," Warren said.

Since Warren presented his override plan five months ago, he has joined fellow city officials and pro-override group Building Newton's Future to campaign in support of the override. 

Warren said he was not sure what to expect for voter turnout Tuesday, but was "confident Newton would make the right decision." 

 although several polling location volunteers remarked that the turnout was higher than they had expected.

According to the unofficial details posted on the city's website, 32 percent of registered voters in Newton turned out for Tuesday's special municipal election.

Joshua Norman, co-chair of override opposition group Moving Newton Forward, told Newton Patch Tuesday night that he was surprised with the "low" voter turnout for "an important fiscal situation and issue."

Norman said he believes "voter apathy" played a role in Tuesday's turnout, as well as the fact that many residents may not choose to be involved with politics due to other life, family or professional obligations. 

The last override special election, held in 2008, brought out 47 percent of Newton's registered voters, according to Newton Election Commission documents. That override proposal was voted down.

Although the Moving Newton Forward group "covered a lot of ground," Norman said the group's late start to the override conversation likely played a role in Tuesday's results.

The opposition group formed in early 2013, two and a half months after Warren proposed the override package.

"Our group really started late," Norman said. "I thought we would be able to recover from it because we had a better message...in the end, it wasn't enough." 

Now that the override vote has passed, Warren said it's going to be a busy time for city officials as they work out details on upcoming municipal projects, road repairs and school rebuilding/renovation plans.

"We're getting to work right away," Warren told Patch.

As for the opposition group, Moving Newton Forward Co-Chair Suzanne Szescila told Newton Patch in an email Tuesday night that the group will meet again soon to review the recent campaign and discuss plans for the future. 

"I am glad that 8,000 residents voted against Question 1 and I am thrilled with all the great work that Moving Newton Forward managed to wedge into a few short weeks," Szescila told Patch.

Mayor Warren and other city officials are expected to hold a press conference tomorrow afternoon on the override. Stay tuned to Patch for coverage.

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