Canton voters head to polls for third time Tuesday for budget referendum

Canton voters will have a third opportunity on Tuesday, June 23, to pass a town budget for the upcoming 2026-27 fiscal year. Voting will be Tuesday at the Community Center from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Tuesday’s budget proposal calls for a town budget of $52.8 million. According to documents provided by the town, this budget is 3.97 percent higher than the current town budget.

On May 14, Canton voters rejected the first proposed budget of $55.0 million by the margin of 1,447 to 796. Following the defeat of the first budget proposal, town officials cut $1.3 million from the budget.

On June 2, in a second budget referendum, voters voted 1,303 to 1,049 to reject a proposed budget of $53.7 million.

Following the defeat of the second budget proposal, town officials lowered the proposed town budget by $950,000 with $150,000 coming from the Board of Selectman’s budget, $350,000 coming from the town’s capital improvement budget, $400,000 from the Board of Education’s proposed budget and $50,000 coming from the Board of Finance.

Information provided by town officials discuss the services and programs that will be cut or eliminated if the third budget passes.

The second budget proposal was 5.84 percent higher than the current town budget.