Lexington's Four Boards Agree to Restructure Budget Summits Ahead of Likely Override

LEXINGTON -- June 10, 2026, Lexington's four fiscal boards launch a long-term budget summit overhaul aimed at delaying a Proposition 2½ override. Select Board Chair Jill Hai convened a joint session of the Select Board, Appropriation Committee, School Committee, and Capital Expenditures Committee on June 10 to inventory fiscal policy questions and redesign the summit process after what multiple members called a "food fight" at the most recent Annual Town Meeting. The group reached informal consensus on several points: the $6.5 million annual capital stabilization set-aside for the Lexington High School project represents a firm commitment to voters; one-time funds should not be used for recurring operating expenses; and the four committee chairs should meet over the summer to assign policy working groups and set a fall calendar targeting a revenue review summit in late September or early October. Capital Expenditures Committee Chair Charles Lam called for a binding process commitment: "We can't afford to have another food fight the way we did this year." Appropriation Committee member Alan Levine framed the override question as a readiness exercise: the goal is to be able to "list the 10, 20, 30 things we have done to postpone this" before asking voters for more money. No formal votes were taken.