Town Manager Weekly Update - November 26, 2025
Elaine Lazarus
From Elaine Lazarus, Town Manager - November 26, 2025
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Here’s what’s in today’s email:
- Special Town Meeting December 4 at 7 pm - What’s it about?
- Deadline to apply for appointment to Charter Review Committee - December 1 at noon
- Health Department Alert - Well Water Testing Laboratories
- Winter Farmers Market
- Electric Bicycle Advisory
Special Town Meeting - December 4, 2025 at 7:00 PM, High School Auditorium
A Special Town Meeting will be held on Thursday, December 4, 2025 to amend the FY26 town budget. All registered voters are welcome to attend and vote. Here’s why the meeting is being held:
Every year, the Town’s budget that is voted at the Annual Town Meeting in May is based on estimates and projections of revenues and expenditures. This is because it’s based on the best information at the time - much of this information is not known until the following summer/early fall - which is after the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1. The budget must be voted before July 1.
In the fall, the Town uses actual expenditures from the prior fiscal year which ended on June 30, the firmed-up revenue numbers for the new fiscal year, the operating budgets voted at town meeting, along with new growth, debt and capital exclusions, and other charges, to set the tax rate for the new fiscal year. The quarterly tax bills that go out in the summer/fall are estimated, because the tax rate has not yet been set for the new fiscal year.
Appropriations for budgets and capital projects come from a variety of sources - non-taxation revenue sources include state aid, free cash, ambulance receipts, community preservation, enterprise funds, and fees. What does not come from these sources must be raised. Revenue sources are subtracted from the total planned expenditures, and this remaining amount must be raised through the property tax levy.
At the same time, the Town has a levy limit, which is the total dollar amount of taxes the local government is authorized by law to collect. The levy limit increases each year, as a 2.5% annual increase, new growth (revenue from new construction/development), and debt exclusion/capital exclusions are factored in.
When calculating the maximum levy, the excluded debt is based on the actual number, not the estimated number that was calculated leading up to the annual town meeting.
For FY26, the calculated levy is $93,803,493. The excluded debt for FY26 is $8,362,350. The maximum allowable levy is calculated by adding those two figures: $102,165,846.
The tax rate setting process uses different numbers (actuals versus estimates) for the expense calculation than was used at the annual town meeting in May.
A few key actuals that now affect the FY26 budget that was voted in May:
- The health care costs were estimated based on FY25 estimates and not the actuals that became known after July 1. There was a $2.2 million dollar savings in health care costs in FY25.
- The debt exclusion and debt payment was estimated based on borrowing $81 million dollars and conservative market conditions, which resulted in debt payments over $12 million dollars. Actual borrowing was done in a short term note at 3% which saved $3.5 million.
Some financial changes that affect the tax rate setting in the negative column are:
- Expenditures not originally forecasted included a snow and ice deficit of $500,000 and tax abatements/exemptions of $530,000.
- New growth was $400,000 less than originally budgeted, which reduced this estimated revenue source.
The budget voted at the annual town meeting had total expenditures (that were originally projected to be in the 2026 tax rate) exceeding $154 million dollars and the revenue from other sources was estimated to come in at $46 million. The difference between the two is the amount of tax that was anticipated to be needed: $108 million.
However, as stated above, the maximum levy calculation indicated the Town is only allowed to collect $102M, and examination of why this happened pointed to the health care and debt payment savings.
Therefore, once those reductions are approved at Special Town Meeting, our expenditures will be $148 million and our other revenue will be $46 million, so the amount needed to raise by taxation will be less than the levy limit of $102 million.
The reduction will not affect any department’s operating budget and no services will be affected.
The special town meeting vote will reduce the amount of property tax that the Town is authorized to collect in FY26.
The table at the bottom of my email shows the items that would be changed. If you are a registered voter in Hopkinton, please attend Town Meeting! A quorum of 131 people is required to hold the meeting. If there aren’t enough voters there and the budget is not reduced accordingly, then the higher tax rate will be set.
Last Chance to Apply - Charter Review Committee
Consider serving on the Town’s Charter Review Committee! It is time to begin the second 10-year review of the Town’s Charter by a 7-member Charter Review Committee. Membership on the Committee is open to all residents. Please reach out to the Town Manager’s office or the Town Clerk’s office if you have any questions about the Charter or this process.
Applications must be submitted by Noon on Monday, December 1.
Apply here: Town of Hopkinton, MA: Board Application.
Health Department Alert - Certified Laboratories for Well Water Testing
The Hopkinton Health Department is alerting the public that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP) has decertified Environmental Testing and Research Laboratory (ETR) of Leominster. Until they apply and qualify for recertification, drinking and irrigation well sampling results from the laboratory will not be accepted by the Hopkinton Health Department. A link to the MDEP's decertification notification can be found in the following link:
To find a MDEP certified lab, please use the following link: Certified Laboratories | Mass.gov
Winter Farmers Market
The Farmers Market is on Sundays from 11 am to 2 pm at Weston Nurseries, 93 East Main Street. The website includes information and a list of vendors. Hopkinton Farmers Market
Electric Bicycle Advisory
Electric bicycles (e-bikes) have grown in popularity over the last few years.
There are different e-Bike Classifications Under Massachusetts Law:
- Class 1: A low-speed electric bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches 20 miles per hour.
- Class 2: A low-speed electric bicycle equipped with a throttle-actuated motor that can propel the bicycle without pedaling, but ceases to provide assistance at 20 miles per hour.
The Massachusetts law does not define Class 3 e-bikes, a term commonly used in other jurisdictions and the bicycle industry to refer to pedal-assist e-bikes that operate up to 28 mph with a speedometer. Because Massachusetts does not codify Class 3, any e-bike exceeding the power or speed thresholds of Class 1 or 2 may instead be considered a “motorized bicycle” under G.L. c. 90, § 1, subject to registration, license, and helmet requirements.
Licensing, Registration, and Helmet Requirements
- Class 1 or 2 (≤ 20 mph) - No License required; no Registration required; Helmet required under age 17 only
- Exceeds Class 1 or 2 limits - License required (motorized bike); Registration required; Helmet required for all riders.
Where E-Bikes May Be Operated
Class 1 and 2 e-bikes are treated the same as pedal-powered bicycles and are legally permitted to operate:
- On public roadways
- In designated bike lanes
- On shared-use or multi-use paved trails, unless restricted by local regulation
E-bike operation is prohibited:
- On sidewalks, unless expressly permitted by local ordinance
- On natural-surface or mountain bike trails, unless signage or local rules allow it
Special Town Meeting Budget Amendments:
account are public records unless qualified as an exemption under the
*Massachusetts Public Records Law
<http://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/preidx.htm>*.