Southampton Voters Approve $15.9M Budget, Send $2.5M Override to May 19 Ballot

SOUTHAMPTON -- May 2, 2026, Southampton voters approved a $15.9 million base budget and placed a $2.5 million Proposition 2.5 override on the May 19 election ballot at a standing-room-only annual town meeting May 2 that required a gymnasium overflow room for roughly 454 registered voters. Town Administrator Scott Zaback described a structural deficit driven by only $250,000 in new revenue against health insurance increases of $300,000, halved new growth of $100,000, and free cash certified at negative $555,000. The base budget passed 437 to 27; the $2.5 million override question and a companion $1.9 million option both proceed to the ballot, where whichever receives a majority prevails and the higher amount wins if both pass. Voters also approved a $6,281,651 Hampshire Regional School District assessment over Finance Committee opposition, transferred $400,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to the newly formed Affordable Housing Trust, dissolved the Capital Improvement Committee by folding it into the Finance Committee, voted to move the elected Treasurer-Collector position to an appointed role subject to future ballot ratification, and rejected a citizen petition to reduce the CPA surcharge from 3 percent to 1 percent, 77 to 22.