Voters will head to the polls in seven weeks to decide the fate of an issue that could have long-term ramifications for Westport's bottom line.

At last week's select board meeting, board members agreed to hold a town-wide election on Tuesday, July 25, which if passed would authorize the town to raise the tax levy by $3 million over the state-mandated yearly levy growth cap of 2.5 percent.

The $3 million override would likely be spent over three years, and town officials say it will help Westport loosen the shackles of a structural deficit that plagues both the town and the school department year in and year out. Voters at last month's Annual Town Meeting agreed to appropriate $1 million of the override funds this coming fiscal year, contingent on the upcoming vote's passage. Select board members said additional funds from the override would be spent over the following to years, though as with this year the amount of appropriations is up to voters at Town Meeting.

"It's being taken in installments, in a manner of speaking," select board chairman Richard Brewer said. "I hope that we'll be successful. I"m very optimistic, personally."

Westport has historically been leery of overrides, and has rejected 17 of the 19 override votes held in the 41 years the state's Proposition 2 1/2 has existed.

Town officials started talking about floating an override vote early last year, but ultimately decided against it as they believed then that they would not have enough time to educate the public on why one is necessary prior to the 2022 Town Meeting. This year, a private group of taxpayers formed the town's "Fiscal Stability Group," and researched the issue heavily. The group's Al Lees concluded that the town has been crippled by Proposition 2 1/2's limitations and has had to make do with too little for too long, at the expense of a fully functioning, adequately staffed government and appropriate public services.

"We have no choice, we've hit the wall," he said when the group released its report this Spring.

"I think it is important for the people of the town to understand ... that we are in a position right now where we have kicked the can down the road, we've patched up as much as we can, and we have no choice, at least as far as our committee sees. We need to go for an override of no less than $3 million, which will not serve the long term problem.The $3 million will keep us level funded for three or four years, maybe five if we're lucky."

If the July 25 vote passes, the $1 million in appropriations approved in early May would be spent on the following:

• $405,000 would go to Westport Community Schools;

• $250,000 would go into the town's stabilization fund;

• $75,000 would go to police department salaries;

• $66,000 would go to fire department salaries;

• $65,000 would go to building department salaries;

• $60,000 would go to highway department salaries;

• $55,000 would go to information technology expenses;

• $19,000 would go to Council on Aging expenses;

• $5,000 would go to Council on Aging salaries.

"