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Town Election Guide, March 28, 2026

Arlington's annual town election on Saturday, March 28, 2026 features two ballot questions and races for several town offices. This guide covers each ballot question with arguments on both sides, and provides a comparison of candidates in the two contested races.

Today

Today — Saturday, March 28, 2026

Election Day in Arlington. Polls are open, a major tax question is on the ballot, and the day's schedule includes rallies, a library talk, and a health expo.

Today

Today — Friday, March 27, 2026

Arlington heads into a busy weekend: a $14.8 million tax override vote, contested school board seats, and a Health & Wellness Expo are all on tap for Saturday.

Government

Arlington Schools Lay Out Two Futures: $107M Budget With Override, Deep Cuts Without

Twelve days before Arlington voters decide whether to approve a $14.8 million operating override, school administrators handed the Finance Committee a stark choice: a $107.7 million budget that holds programming largely intact, or a $103.6 million level-funded reality that eliminates dozens of positions, charges families to play sports or study an instrument, and packs more students into every classroom.

Government

School Committee Meeting — January 8, 2026

Arlington's School Committee spent most of its Thursday evening meeting on a detailed look at two very different futures for the district: one where a March operating override passes, and one where it doesn't.

Government

Arlington Candidates' Night Spotlights Override Vote, School Budgets, and Select Board Race — March 18, 2026

Candidates for Arlington's Select Board, School Committee, and Board of Assessors made their cases to voters at the League of Women Voters Candidates' Night on March 18, 2026, with nearly every candidate urging a "yes" vote on the town's $14.8 million override referendum scheduled for March 28. The forum featured substantive exchanges on budget cuts, school fees, DEI policy, artificial intelligence in classrooms, and cell phone restrictions.

Government

Redevelopment Board Reviews Home Occupations, Assisted Living Rezoning, and Fence Visibility Articles — March 16 Meeting

Arlington's Redevelopment Board heard three citizen petition zoning warrant articles headed for the 2026 Town Meeting, including expanded home occupation rules, a rezoning from R1 to R6 to enable a 145-unit assisted living facility on St. Camillus Church land, and a proposal to allow certain transparent fences at street corners. The board offered feedback but took no formal votes on the articles, which will ultimately be decided by Town Meeting.

Government

Finance Committee Endorses CPA Plan, Defers on DPW Budget — March 9 Meeting

Arlington's Finance Committee voted 13-3-1 to endorse the Community Preservation Committee's $3,055,500 project plan for fiscal year 2027, which includes funding for affordable housing, court reconstruction, veterans memorial renovation, and town hall restoration. The committee also heard a citizen petition to exempt Arlington from Chapter 61B tax classifications for private country clubs, declined to take a position on it, and began reviewing DPW budgets with concerns about energy costs and staffing vacancies.

Government

Arlington School Committee Unanimously Approves FY27 Budget With Override and No-Override Scenarios — March 12 Meeting

The Arlington School Committee voted 7-0 to approve two FY27 budget scenarios: a $107.7 million plan contingent on a successful override vote on March 28, and a level-funded $103.6 million plan if the override fails. The revised budgets restore weekly ACE planning blocks for elementary teachers and maintain multilingual learner staffing, while reducing 2.3 specialist positions and eliminating a deputy IT director role amid declining enrollment and potential loss of Title I federal funding.

Government

School Committee Presents Two FY27 Budgets, Unanimously Endorses $14.8M Override — February 12 Meeting

The Arlington School Committee unanimously endorsed a $14.8 million property tax override headed to voters on March 28, after reviewing two starkly different FY27 budget scenarios — one with a 4% increase to $107.8 million and one level-funded at $103.6 million. Both scenarios feature only reductions with no new additions, including cuts to elementary specialists, multilingual learning teachers, and central office staff.

Government

Redevelopment Board Approves 840 Mass Ave Affordable Housing Project, Reviews Overlay District and Town Meeting Articles — March 9 Meeting

Arlington's Redevelopment Board voted 4-1 to approve a 28-unit affordable housing project at 840-846 Mass Ave and 17 Newman Way by the Housing Corporation of Arlington, racing to meet a March 19 state funding deadline. The board also received its first formal feedback session on a proposed 100% affordable housing overlay district and continued hearings on several zoning warrant articles for the 2026 town meeting.

Government

Finance Committee Reviews Legal, Police Budgets and Reserve Fund — February 9 Meeting

The Finance Committee approved budgets for the legal department and police department, along with the annual reserve fund, during its February 9, 2026 meeting. Members expressed frustration over the legal department's continued lack of detailed line-item budgeting and discussed key police department developments including body-worn camera implementation and the town's exit from state civil service hiring requirements.

Government

Finance Committee Reviews Budgets for Committees, HR, Retirement, and OPEB — February 25 Meeting

Arlington's Finance Committee voted on budgets for multiple town committees and commissions, approved a $451,047 Human Resources budget, endorsed an $18.4 million retirement appropriation with a reduced 5% annual growth rate, and approved $805,000 in OPEB trust fund contributions. The committee also approved $8,588 for employee reclassifications and heard presentations from the Historical Commission, Zero Waste Arlington, and the Water Bodies working group.

Government

ZBA Hears Boston Gas Take Station Proposal, Continues to Jan. 27 — January 13 Meeting

The Arlington Zoning Board of Appeals heard a special permit application from Boston Gas Company (National Grid) to construct a new natural gas take station at 307 Washington Street, drawing significant public opposition over tree removal, wildlife impacts, and the necessity of building on a new site. The board continued the hearing to January 27, 2026, requesting additional information on native plantings, noise mitigation, and environmental considerations.

Government

Finance Committee Reviews FY27 Budget Amid Override Vote Preparations — January 28 Meeting

Arlington's Finance Committee received a detailed FY27 budget presentation projecting $237.9 million in revenue and 3.88% expenditure growth, with a pending override vote scheduled for March 28 that could determine whether the town faces deep service cuts. Town Manager Jim Feeney and Deputy Town Manager Julie Waite outlined a structurally imbalanced budget driven by healthcare costs growing at 11.25%, police and fire salary catch-ups exceeding 10%, and the depletion of the override stabilization fund.