Winchester Select Board Narrows Override Range to $12.5 Million to $15 Million for March Ballot

WINCHESTER -- January 26, 2026, Winchester Select Board narrows working override range to roughly $12.5 million to $15 million ahead of a March 2026 ballot question. At a Zoom meeting held Monday due to a snow emergency, the five-member board reviewed a financial model built by member Paris Sionni showing an unfunded capital need of $53.9 million against $31.7 million in stabilization funds, with health-insurance costs running above 10 percent annually as the primary operating driver. Member Bill McGonigal anchored at a starting point of $13 million to $19 million and said "the best way to get it done is to get it done" on capital; Chair Michelle Gillespie cited rising food-pantry caseloads, from roughly 100 cases to 382 in four years, and placed her number at $8 million to $10 million total. Three members appeared to coalesce around a $12.5 million to $15 million range combining operating and capital. A final override vote is expected by February 13, following a Special Town Meeting February 9 and a budget summit Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.