Replacing the Marblehead High School’s leaky roof and passing a recall provision are among the highest-profile proposals local voters will consider when they gather for the 2025 Town Meeting on Monday, May 5.
The 52-article warrant contains a mix of urgent infrastructure needs (that would temporarily raise taxes), tax relief measures, citizen petitions and financial allocations that will shape the town’s direction for the coming fiscal year.
The Finance Committee’s warrant hearing, scheduled for April 7 at 7 p.m. in the Select Board Room at Abbot Hall, will provide residents an opportunity to learn more about these and other articles before the May 5 Town Meeting.
Here’s a look at some of the articles that will be debated:
Another $8.6M for MHS roof replacement
Voters will be asked to raise their taxes for the next 15 years to fund another $8.5 million for the high school roof replacement. Town Meeting approved $5.3 million for the project two years ago, but it never launched. It now includes HVAC units.
Mary Alley Municipal Building debt exclusion
Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer has said the Mary Alley Municipal Building’s deteriorating HVAC system has reached a breaking point, creating uncomfortable working conditions for town employees. Finance Director Aleesha Benjamin expects to have a dollar amount for the debt exclusion this week.
“The 1950s system in the building is on its last leg,” Kezer explained during a recent Select Board meeting. “That affects us both in winter heating and cooling. There are way too many conditions in the summer and too many plug-in heaters in the winter to keep the employees comfortable.”
Senior, veteran tax relief
Article 28 seeks to establish a means-tested property tax exemption for qualifying senior citizens who have owned homes in Marblehead for at least 10 consecutive years, but will require state legislative approval through the home rule petition process if passed by voters.
To qualify, single applicants must be 65 years or older, and for joint applicants, at least one person must meet this age requirement. The exemption amount would be determined annually by the Select Board and would range between 50% and 200% of the applicant’s Circuit Breaker Income Tax Credit, a state program designed to assist seniors with property tax burdens based on income and home value criteria.
For tax year 2024, the maximum Circuit Breaker credit is $2,730, meaning the proposed exemption could provide eligible seniors with a property tax reduction ranging from $1,365 to $5,460, depending on the percentage set by the Select Board. By implementing this exemption, Marblehead aims to support long-term senior residents in managing their property tax obligations, allowing them to continue residing in their homes.
Additional property tax relief measures appear in Articles 29 and 30. Article 29 would accept a state provision that allows the town to automatically increase veteran property tax exemptions each year based on the Consumer Price Index rate of inflation. Article 30 would accept another state provision that doubles the property tax exemption amount for qualifying veterans. Both measures aim to enhance tax relief for veterans as living costs increase.
Eight citizen petitions
A recall provision (Article 52) would establish a process to remove elected officials, requiring signatures from 15% of town registered voters after an initial affidavit from 25 voters. If passed, the measure would need state Legislature approval.
Other petitions include a proposed residency requirement for department heads (Article 48), despite concerns about housing affordability with $1.2 million median home prices.
Attorney John DiPiano has proposed limiting reconsideration motions to within 30 minutes of initial votes (Article 51), while Jack Buba seeks to create an independent parliamentarian position (Article 49) to advise the town moderator on procedural matters.
Lobsterman Ray Bates petitioned to allow fishermen to store gear and traps on their residential property from Nov. 1 to May 1 (Article 45), citing economic challenges faced by the industry.
Additional petitions call for a $100,000 independent town audit (Article 46), elimination of the sustainability coordinator position that pays $73,111.70 annually (Article 47) and a request to present Proposition 2½ tax override articles separately on ballots rather than bundled together (Article 50).
Building fees, police hiring age
Building and electrical permit fees would see changes under Articles 38-41. Articles 38 and 39 would give the Select Board authority to set building and electrical permit fees after public hearings, similar to how other town boards set fees. If those changes aren’t approved, Articles 40 and 41 would raise building and electrical installation fees from $15 to $17 per $1,000 of total project cost.
Article 41 would also add a new fee for electric storage battery installations, addressing the growing use of home battery backup systems.
“What’s happening in people’s homes are the large home batteries as backup systems,” Kezer said. “Those are not plug and play — they’re pretty significant installation inspection requirements.”
Article 37 would rescind a previous acceptance that capped police officer hiring at age 32, removing that restriction and potentially expanding the applicant pool for the department.
Second try for snow emergency parking fines
Another home rule petition appears in Article 44, representing a second attempt to increase parking violation fines during declared snow emergencies from $50 to $100, with an increase to $105 if not paid within 21 days.
“Parking tickets, increasing the fee for snow emergencies from 50 to 100. This was passed, I don’t know how many years ago, went through Town Meeting, went to the Legislature. It never made it through,” Kezer noted. This history necessitates a fresh Town Meeting vote and resubmission to the legislature.
The complete 2025 Town Meeting Warrant is available at bit.ly/3Rwx2I5 under the Town Meeting tab. The Current will publish its comprehensive Town Meeting Guide on April 4, offering detailed explanations of these articles and the home rule petition process.
