The town has scheduled another public forum where residents can ask questions about the proposed 2027 budget and overrides.
At an April 22 Select Board meeting, Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer announced the presentation for Monday, April 27, 6 p.m., at the Jacobi Community Center.
“Our intent is to have a budget or Town Meeting Q &A for the public, if they want to ask questions about items that are coming up,” Kezer said. He will be there, along with Town Meeting Moderator Jack Attridge and representatives from the schools.
The Select Board and School Committee are hosting two other Q&A sessions at Dunkin’ Donuts on Wednesday, April 29, 3-4 p.m. and Thursday, April 30, 9-11 a.m.
At Town Meeting on May 4, voters will vote on a proposed $123 million town budget that includes deep program and staffing cuts, and whether to authorize the Select Board to place two override questions on the June 9 election ballot.
One is a three-year, tiered proposal, where voters can choose from a $9, $12 or $15 million override. The second override is to cover increased trash costs.
Also at the April 22 meeting, Select Board member Alexa Singer spoke about the 20+ properties, many of them historic, that the town owns and is responsible for.
They include:
Abbot Hall, Old Town House, Abbot Library, police station, two fire stations, Hobbs House (home to the Marblehead Counseling Center), Mary Alley Municipal Building, Jacobi Community Center and more.
Singer outlined dozens of maintenance projects completed in 2025 and 2026, including:
- Fourteen at the Mary Alley Building, including a new roof, fire alarm system and remodeled offices
- Three at the Hobbs building, including 50 new windows and a deck replacement
- Three at the Community Center, including a 20-year roof recoat, and fire alarm repairs
- Six at the Franklin Street Fire Station, including 14 new windows, and a new boiler and hot water heater
Singer pointed out that the $12 million override (Tier 2) would include funding for more building maintenance.
She listed three key projects coming up: a new fire alarm system at Abbot Hall, a new elevator and fire escape at the Old Town House and a new heating system at the central fire station.
“This is a small example of some of the concrete projects that some of these buildings that we care for and love need desperately to be able to bring them to the level they need to be,” she said.
Here’s a look at Singer’s full presentation:
New bond will save taxpayers money, town says
The Select Board also approved a $24,975,000 general obligation bond issue with what Finance Director Aleesha Benjamin “favorable terms” that will save taxpayers money over the life of the borrowing.
The bonds, structured with maturities extending up to 30 years, drew 10 competitive bids, signaling strong investor confidence and a healthy demand for municipal debt.
A key highlight of the sale was an approximately $1.5 million bond premium, which fully covered issuance costs and allowed the town to reduce its total borrowing from about $26.2 million to $24.98 million.
The bonds carry a true interest cost of 3.752%. The borrowing will fund already-approved projects including library services, the high school roof and infrastructure.
