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What is the State of the Town?

The State of the Town is a body that has been convened by the Select Board to design a comprehensive fiscal plan that can guide the Town broadly across six areas:

Town and School Operating Needs
Capital Needs and Asset Strategy
Non-Property Tax Revenue
Structural Costs & Efficiencies
Tax Fairness
Fiscal Stewardship

We anticipate this work will lead to a number of policy actions – most under the authority of the Select Board, some under the School Committee and other bodies – starting in late fall and through the winter. These actions are designed to put the town on strong fiscal footing, protect and strategically enhance Town and School services and capital, and minimize impact on taxpayers.

As one part of the comprehensive fiscal plan, the Select Board will likely place an override on the March 2026 ballot.

Who is the State of the Town?

The State of the Town body incorporates significant participation from all relevant Winchester bodies, including:

Select Board (5 members)
School Committee (3 members)
Finance Committee (3 members)
Capital Planning Committee (2 members)
Planning Board (1 member)
General residents (7 members) appointed by the Select Board

The State of the Town leadership will engage actively with Town Meeting Members and the general public starting this Fall and continuing through the Winter.

How can I learn more about the State of the Town work?

The full State of the Town group meets every other Friday (and sometimes every Friday) from 9 to 10 am in the Select Board room at Town Hall. Meetings are noticed on the calendar at Winchester.us and are officially organized as joint meetings of the Select Board and School Committee (given quorums of both bodies are present). All meetings are open to the public and include a hybrid Zoom option.

The group is also using a Box folder to store a wide range of reports and documents related to State of the Town. In this drive, residents can find a detailed list of all areas of inquiry (workstreams) here and just general access to all of the documents here.

How can residents ask questions or contribute ideas?

In addition to attending the meetings, residents can e-mail State of the Town chair Paras Bhayani (pbhayani@winchester.us) and vice chair Michelle Prior (mprior@winchester.us) with any questions or comments. They will ensure questions or comments get to the right individuals within the State of the Town group who are looking into each area.

All residents are always welcome to speak to or e-mail any Select Board member, to provide public comment at the start of regularly scheduled Select Board meetings, or to speak to members of other bodies (School Committee, Capital Planning Committee, etc.) about more specific ideas. Contact information for the group can be found here.

As we get further closer to the Fall, the group may utilize different technology solutions to collect more feedback from the public.