Voters approved the town’s $120 million budget for fiscal year 2026, updated regulations for accessory dwelling units, floodplain bylaws and tax relief measures for seniors and disabled veterans during the second night of Town Meeting on Wednesday.
The session in the Marblehead High School field house saw articles pass with strong majorities despite dwindling attendance that ultimately forced an early adjournment when the assembly fell below the required 300-voter quorum.
Moderator Jack Attridge announced around 10:30 p.m. that he intended to complete all warrant articles if possible, though the ambitious goal faced significant challenges with 53 articles on the warrant.
Article 24, updating the town’s accessory dwelling unit bylaw to comply with 2024 state regulations, passed 313-46 after considerable debate and the defeat of two proposed amendments.
Voters easily approved Article 22, the $120 million fiscal year 2026 town operating budget, after a brief discussion that included questions about the sustainability coordinator position, questions about new hires and one resident’s eight-year quest to have stop lines repainted outside his house.
Town Planner Alex Eitler explained the ADU changes were necessary to align Marblehead’s bylaws with new state mandates.
“This is a substantial impact for single family municipalities. Marblehead is one of those, for sure,” Eitler said. “The reason we’re updating our ADU bylaw is to make sure that we have the most consistent regulations in place that are complying with the state but also maintaining control of the existing character of Marblehead.”
Key changes included reducing the maximum ADU size from 1,000 to 900 square feet, decreasing parking requirements from two spaces to one space for units within a half-mile of public transit and eliminating the requirement that property owners must occupy the principal dwelling.
Select Board candidate Yael Magen proposed two amendments that would have allowed residents to engage in short-term rentals of either the accessory or principal dwelling unit. Both amendments failed after Town Counsel Adam Costa advised they might violate state regulations.
Voters approved Article 25 updating floodplain district bylaws as required by FEMA by a vote of 315-23. The changes included designating the town engineer as floodplain administrator and requiring permits for work done in flood zones.
Article 26, adopting the prudent investor rule for town trust funds, passed 281-42. Finance Director Alicia Benjamin explained the change would provide “additional flexibility to invest town trust funds in a broader range of investments” beyond the limited options currently allowed on the Massachusetts legal list.
“We can’t invest in Apple. We can’t invest in any of the things – Amazon, Netflix, Google,” Benjamin said.
In a major win for seniors, voters approved Article 28 establishing a means-tested property tax exemption for residents 65 and older whose property taxes consume a disproportionate share of their income. The home rule petition passed 297-23.
Selectman Dan Fox explained the exemption would be limited to longtime residents whose assessed home value is at or below the town average, with income limits to be set annually by the Select Board.
“This is a highly targeted tax relief for our seniors,” Fox said, adding that the first year’s implementation would likely cost about $200,000, with individual exemptions capped at $2,000.
Articles 29 and 30, which expanded tax exemptions for disabled veterans, also passed overwhelmingly.
After some residents expressed concerns about losing more school property, Article 31 transferring the Coffin School from the School Committee to the Select Board passed 229-86. Officials emphasized that a reuse committee would engage in a “highly publicized” process similar to what was done with the Gerry School in 2019.
“The Select Board is acutely aware of how precious our public spaces are, and that we must develop any property reuse in the most inclusive and deliberative process possible,” Selectman Moses Grader said.
Article 32, transferring the Gerry Playground to the Recreation and Parks Commission, passed 299-9.
After Article 35 was by a vote of 259-22, Attridge adjourned the meeting until Thursday at 7 p.m., when deliberations will resume with Article 36 on the Stormwater Enterprise Fund.
“I need you here tomorrow night,” Attridge told the dwindling crowd. “And please bring a friend.”
