The Valley Weekly

Prop 2½ Tracker

Public records · Updated June 16, 2026

Pioneer Valley Prop 2½ Override Tracker

A running scoreboard of every Proposition 2½ override vote across the Pioneer Valley and Western Massachusetts. Each row shows the town, the vote date, the dollar amount, the yes/no breakdown, the outcome, and a link to local coverage when we have one.

Data flows from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue's Division of Local Services Override/Underride report. We refresh weekly. Scheduled and anticipated votes get added as soon as they're announced.

Passed
17
Failed
22
Withdrawn
1
Scheduled
4

What is Proposition 2½?

Proposition 2½ is a Massachusetts law passed by ballot initiative in 1980 that caps how much a city or town can collect in property taxes. The total levy can grow by no more than 2.5% per year, plus an allowance for new growth like new construction. The cap is what gives the law its name.

When a municipality needs to fund a service above what the cap allows, it has to ask voters. That ask is an override: a ballot question that, if a simple majority of voters approves it, permanently raises the levy ceiling. Overrides usually go toward operating budgets for schools, public safety, or general municipal services. The opposite question, an underride, lowers the ceiling.

Each override is a stand-alone vote. Two failed overrides in the same town do not roll into a single number; one $9M override and one $11M override on the same ballot in the same town are two separate rows on this tracker. South Hadley's April 14, 2026 ballot is one example of that pattern.

Every override vote we're tracking

South Hadley

Date TBD

After both April overrides failed, the Selectboard is gathering public input toward a revised question. The June 16 forum at 45 Dayton Street is the next step. Coverage →
Anticipated

Northampton

Date TBD

After the 2024 withdrawn override, budget pressure has not eased. The Reminder reports the city is trending back toward a Prop 2½ vote within the year. Coverage →
Anticipated

Amherst

Date TBD

Amherst has an override cycling through and was named alongside South Hadley, Easthampton, and Hadley as towns the editorial brief flagged for likely 2026 ballot questions.
Anticipated

Hadley

Date TBD

Hadley flagged in the editorial brief alongside South Hadley, Easthampton, and Amherst as a town with an override cycling through.
Anticipated

Easthampton

· $6.9M

52% yes · 48% no

6,385 ballots

Funded the bulk of school and city services for the year ahead. The superintendent had warned that 35 positions would be cut if the override failed. Coverage →
Passed

Buckland

· $500K · GENERAL OPERATING

65% yes · 35% no

371 ballots

Funding School And Municipal Operations For Fiscal Year Beginning July First Two Thousand And Twenty Six
Passed

Hadley

· $1.5M · GENERAL OPERATING

50% yes · 50% no

1,844 ballots

Permanent Override Public Safety,Schools, Public Works And General Governement
Passed

Richmond

· $251K · GENERAL GOVERNMENT

77% yes · 23% no

225 ballots

Stabilizing The Town'S Budget And Reserves
Passed

Southampton

· $1.9M · GENERAL OPERATING

54% yes · 46% no

2,197 ballots

Operating Municipal Givernment
Passed

Egremont

· $630K · GENERAL OPERATING

58% yes · 42% no

238 ballots

Funding Operating Budget Of School, Costs Of Payroll,Retirement Contributions, Insurance Premiums
Passed

Sunderland

· $800K · GENERAL GOVERNMENT

70% yes · 30% no

618 ballots

Increase Town And Public School Budget
Passed

Belchertown

· $2.9M · GENERAL GOVERNMENT

50% yes · 50% no

4,271 ballots

Funding Municipal And School Operating Budgets For The Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2025
Passed

Monterey

· $1.1M · PUBLIC SAFETY

73% yes · 27% no

187 ballots

Funding A Full-Time Positions In The Fire Department
Passed

Buckland

· $151K · GENERAL OPERATING

68% yes · 32% no

251 ballots

Funding The Town'S Operating Budget
Passed

Hatfield

· $1.3M · GENERAL OPERATING

58% yes · 42% no

1,046 ballots

Funding The Operating Budgets Of Town And Public Schools
Passed

Southampton

· $333K · PUBLIC SAFETY

56% yes · 44% no

793 ballots

Fire/Ems,Police And Employee Beneifits
Passed

Ware

· $-400000 · GENERAL GOVERNMENT

64% yes · 36% no

3,173 ballots

Reduction In Ability To Assess Real Estate And Personal Property Taxes
Passed

Huntington

· $86K · CULTURE AND RECREATION

70% yes · 30% no

240 ballots

Assess $86,328 To Fund Library
Passed

Huntington

· $59K · HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICE

74% yes · 26% no

239 ballots

Assess $58,777 To Fund Ambulance
Passed

Charlemont

· $232K · SCHOOL

50% yes · 50% no

202 ballots

Defray School Operating Assessment
Passed

Washington

· $150K · GENERAL OPERATING

68% yes · 32% no

78 ballots

Fund Operating Budget And Reg School District
Passed

Westhampton

· $125K · GENERAL OPERATING

49% yes · 51% no

594 ballots

Assess $125,000 Additional Taxes Fy27
Failed

Deerfield

· $400K · HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICE

32% yes · 68% no

1,039 ballots

South County Emergency Medical Service
Failed

Deerfield

· $103K · HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICE

17% yes · 83% no

1,042 ballots

South County Senior Center Budget And Lease
Failed

Southampton

· $2.5M · GENERAL OPERATING

48% yes · 52% no

2,210 ballots

Operating Municipal Government
Failed

Great Barrington

· $2M · GENERAL OPERATING

39% yes · 61% no

1,028 ballots

To See If The Town Of Great Barrington Shall Be Allowed To Assess An Additional $2,000,000 In Real Estate And Personal Property Taxes For The Purposes Of Funding The Town'S Operating Budget For The Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2026
Failed

South Hadley

· $9M

42% yes · 58% no

6,151 ballots

First of two override questions on the same April 14 ballot. The town then faced a roughly $3M FY27 budget gap. Coverage →
Failed

South Hadley

· $11M

35% yes · 65% no

6,151 ballots

Second override question on the April 14 ballot, rejected by a wider margin than the $9M companion. Coverage →
Failed

South Hadley

· $9M · GENERAL OPERATING

41% yes · 59% no

6,273 ballots

Operating The Municipal Government And Public Schools
Failed

Westhampton

· $500K · GENERAL OPERATING

46% yes · 54% no

687 ballots

Assess $500,000 Additional Taxes Fy27
Failed

Worthington

· $290K · GENERAL GOVERNMENT

28% yes · 72% no

331 ballots

Gen'L Govt & School
Failed

Worthington

· $195K · GENERAL GOVERNMENT

38% yes · 62% no

334 ballots

Gen'L Govt & School
Failed

Hadley

· $300K · GENERAL GOVERNMENT

37% yes · 63% no

1,838 ballots

Permanent Override Capital Stablilzation
Failed

Hadley

· $2.3M · GENERAL OPERATING

36% yes · 64% no

1,839 ballots

Permanent Override General Operating Purposed
Failed

Wendell

· $134K · GENERAL OPERATING

44% yes · 56% no

212 ballots

Additional Assessment Of Real Estate For Government And School Funds
Failed

Wendell

· $40K · GENERAL GOVERNMENT

45% yes · 55% no

212 ballots

Additoinal Assesment For General Stabilization Fund
Failed

Orange

· $1.5M · SCHOOL

33% yes · 67% no

1,073 ballots

Regional School Assessment
Failed

Hatfield

· $480K · PUBLIC SAFETY

33% yes · 67% no

785 ballots

Fire/Ambulance Department
Failed

Southampton

· $897K · SCHOOL

48% yes · 52% no

1,924 ballots

Norris Elementary Operating Budget
Failed

Cheshire

· $151K · SCHOOL

28% yes · 72% no

496 ballots

2 1/2 Override For Hoosac Valley Regional School District Budget
Failed

Hatfield

· $66K · PUBLIC SAFETY

48% yes · 52% no

492 ballots

Fire/Ambulance Department
Failed

Erving

· $1.8M · GENERAL GOVERNMENT

20% yes · 80% no

173 ballots

Operating And Capital Expenditures
Failed

Southampton

· $718K · GENERAL GOVERNMENT

37% yes · 63% no

1,279 ballots

General Operating Budget
Failed

Northampton

· $3M

City Council unanimously rescinded the override after fourth-quarter revenues came in higher than expected and the Fiscal Stability Fund accrued $2M in interest. Coverage →
Withdrawn

Frequently asked

What is Proposition 2½?

Proposition 2½ is a Massachusetts law passed by ballot initiative in 1980 that limits how much a city or town can collect in property taxes. The total levy can increase by no more than 2.5% per year, plus new growth. Voters can authorize a permanent increase above that cap by passing an override question on the ballot.

What is a Prop 2½ override?

A Proposition 2½ override is a ballot question that asks voters in a Massachusetts city or town to permanently raise the property tax levy above the 2.5% annual limit. Overrides typically fund operating budgets for schools, public safety, or general municipal services, and they must pass by a simple majority of voters at a local election.

How do you classify each outcome on this tracker?

Passed means the override won at the polls. Failed means it lost at the polls. Withdrawn means the city or town pulled the question off the ballot before the vote (often when reserves came in higher than expected or political conditions shifted). Scheduled means the vote is on the calendar and has not yet happened. Anticipated means the city or town is expected to put one on the ballot but has not yet set a date.

Where does this data come from?

Override vote results are sourced from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue's Division of Local Services (DOR DLS) Override/Underride report, which is the authoritative statewide tally. Scheduled and anticipated votes are added from local news coverage and town announcements before they appear in the DLS report. Editorial notes come from The Valley Weekly's own reporting.

How often is this updated?

The tracker refreshes weekly from the Mass DOR DLS report. Newly announced votes are added in real time as we hear about them through local coverage; resolved outcomes are updated within a day or two of the vote.

Which towns does this cover?

The default view covers the Pioneer Valley plus the surrounding Western Massachusetts area, which is the geography The Valley Weekly newsletter serves. That is Hampshire County, Hampden County, Franklin County, and Berkshire County, roughly 120 municipalities. Statewide history is also pulled into the underlying database and can be added to the public view on request.

Has my town passed a recent override?

Each row on this page is one ballot question for one municipality on one election date. The town name, vote date, dollar amount, vote percentage breakdown, and editorial context appear inline. Scroll to your town or use the browser's find-on-page (Cmd+F or Ctrl+F) to jump to it.

I think you got something wrong on this page

We do our best, but elections records can be messy. If you spot an error or know about a vote we missed, email neal@thevalleyweekly.com and we will fix it.

Glossary

Passed
Voters approved the override at the polls. The new tax levy is in effect for the named fiscal year.
Failed
Voters rejected the override at the polls. The tax levy stays at the existing limit.
Withdrawn
The city or town pulled the override question off the ballot before the vote, usually because financial conditions changed or political support faded.
Scheduled
The override vote is on the calendar. The exact date is known but the vote has not yet happened.
Anticipated
The city or town is expected to put an override on the ballot but has not yet set a date.

About the data

Override results are sourced from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue's Division of Local Services Override/Underride report, the authoritative statewide tally. We refresh the underlying database from that report on a weekly cadence.

Editorial notes, scheduled votes, and anticipated votes come from The Valley Weekly's own reporting and from local news coverage. Coverage links on each row point to the source we used for that vote.

The dataset is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Reuse it, embed it, write about it, just credit The Valley Weekly and link back here.

Spot something we got wrong or a vote we're missing? Drop us a note and we'll fix it.

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