It's going to take longer than officials originally hoped to put a possible budget override question before voters.

This Spring, a general override — which would allow the town to increase the tax levy above what state law allows — was seen as a real possibility for this year's Town Meeting, as officials worried that staying within the state-mandated 2.5 percent levy increase cap would force town departments to cut deeply into essential town services to make ends meet. Instead, the override, which could have been as high as $6.87 million between school and municipal requests, was passed over at town meeting in favor of another strategy: Educating the public on the need for it in the first place, studying the town's ongoing structural deficit in depth, and bringing the matter to a public referendum this fall.

It now appears that any possible override is out for 2022, select board chairwoman Shana Shufelt said at the board's most recent meeting. With much research into the town's finances still needed, "getting it ready for the November ballot is going to be extremely difficult."

More likely, she said, the override could be scheduled for a special town meeting early next year. And if not, it could be included in next year's budget deliberations, for inclusion on the 2023 Town Meeting ballot.

Less than a handful of overrides have been floated and passed here since Massachusetts passed Proposition 2 1/2 20 years ago. But this past year, select board and finance committee members said the time has come for one. With the rising costs of services and depleted state aid revenues contributing to a structural deficit they fear will continue year in and out without intervention, they said an override is almost essential:

"We've been operating in a structural deficit for quite some time now," select board member Brian Valcourt said in March. With state aid not what it once was, "it seems that we're left to fend for ourselves at this point and we have to figure out a way we can do that (but) there's no way we can do it with the current budget."

Since the town and school budgets passed at Town Meeting without an override, town officials have been watching the town's various department budgets to see where they stand. And a private citizens' group has been gathering financial information to determine the town's real needs going forward. All of that will come into play when the town does formulate an override question. But "last time I checked in ... it looks like we don't have enough information yet" on how large of an override Westport should seek," Shufelt said.

Town administrator James Hartnett said he has been watching the numbers from town departments, and hopes to have more information on revenues within the next month or so. That will give Westport "a better idea of where we stand." But he warned that without the ultimate passage of an override question, "it's going to be extremely difficult to get over the next couple of years."