BROOKLINE — The residents of one of the most affluent, most liberal towns in Massachusetts went to the polls on Tuesday and did something that would make many of the state's property taxpayers break out in hives: they voted, overwhelmingly, to raise their own taxes.

By a margin of 8,675 to 5,732 — nearly 20 points — Brookline approved a $23.25 million property tax override that will increase tax bills by roughly 18% over the next three years. Turnout was the highest for a local election since 2008./ They showed up in numbers not seen in nearly two decades, specifically to pay more.

Invest. That's one word for it.

The override was pitched as a rescue mission. Without it, town officials said they were facing the possibility of laying off hundreds of teachers and making deep cuts to the Fire Department. Of the $23.25 million, $17.94 million will go to schools and $5.31 million to other town departments.

For context, property taxes in Brookline would have gone up 11% even without the override. The override adds another 7 points on top. So the choice on the ballot wasn't "tax hike or no tax hike." It was "regular tax hike or bigger tax hike." Brookline chose bigger.

Stephen Reeders, who chaired the opposing Keep Brookline Affordable campaign, said his group took issue with the town only presenting one option — a large override — rather than a more moderate alternative.

"We didn't think that was really the choice, but to do something different that would have been more moderate and given the chance for the town to go away and think a little bit more carefully about where to deploy its assets," Reeders told Brookline.News.

Reeders warned the fight isn't over. "This one battle can't be the end of it," he said.

Dan Zedek, 66, of Brookline Village, voted no. "There's an override every election, and there never seems to be a plan for sustainable growth in the town," he said, arguing that Brookline should be expanding its tax base through commercial development instead of repeatedly asking homeowners for more.

Reeders put it more bluntly: "I do believe it's getting to the point where the taxes now are so high, that people are going to be forced out."

Massachusetts residents already pay some of the highest property taxes in the country, along with some of the most expensive electricity rates in the nation. The gas tax, income tax, and — since 2023 — the millionaires surtax all stack on top.

Brookline just voted to add 18% more.

Even the people who won aren't pretending this fixes anything.

Town Administrator Charles Carey called the override "only the beginning of a broader process" and pointed to upcoming rezoning proposals and a comprehensive plan as steps toward sustainability.

Translation: the town just asked voters for $23 million, and the first thing officials said afterward was that they'll probably need to ask again.

The trends driving Brookline's budget crisis — rising employee healthcare costs, ballooning special education expenses — are expected to continue or worsen. The override buys time. It doesn't buy a solution.

Town Meeting will formally approve the budget in late May. It still includes smaller cuts and some eliminated positions, particularly in schools — because even an 18% tax increase wasn't enough to avoid cuts entirely.

Brookline voted to raise its own taxes by 18%. The margin wasn't close. The turnout was historic. And the people who pushed for it are already warning that the money won't be enough.