Town Meeting - Marblehead Current

20 Mar

TOWN MEETING: Business owners express concern over proposed meals, room taxes

Will Dowd0 CommentsMunicipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Meeting, Uncategorized

Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer and Finance Director Aleesha Nunley Benjamin met with nearly two dozen local business owners March 14 to discuss proposed meals and room taxes, which are set to be voted on at the May Town Meeting. Finance Director Aleesha Nunley Benjamin and Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer discuss the proposed meals and room taxes with local business owners during a meeting at the Select Board Room on Thursday morning, March 14. The taxes, which are set to be voted on at the May…

19 Mar

ABBOT HALL: Laying out the road map for the town’s first charter

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Meeting

Representatives from The Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management presented a detailed road map for Marblehead's charter review process during a recent Select Board meeting, emphasizing the importance of deep community engagement to ensure the final proposal reflects residents' priorities. Michael Ward, director of the Collins Center, talks about the charter review process with Select Board members. CURRENT PHOTO / WILL DOWD As the Select Board takes steps to establish a charter review committee, its members are turning to Collins Center — which…

15 Mar

Gov. Healey signs law, changing Select Board terms to three years, effective immediately

Will Dowd0 CommentsBeacon Hill, Local History, Local News, Municipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Meeting

On March 14, Gov. Maura Healey signed legislation extending the terms of Marblehead Select Board members from one year to three years. The home-rule petition, which was the result of a positive vote at 2023 Town Meeting, will take effect immediately, increasing the importance of the upcoming June 11 town election. State Rep. Jenny Armini and Sen. Brendan Crighton expedited the home-rule petition through both chambers of the state legislature over the past year before it reached Gov. Healey's desk for approval. The decision to…

04 Mar

Town budget cut amid rising costs

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Meeting

Increasing expenses coupled with limited tax revenue and a structural deficit have forced Marblehead officials to cut the budget, Finance Director Aleesha Nunley Benjamin said Tuesday. Finance Director Aleesha Nunley Benjamin presented during the town’s very first ‘finance forum,’ a primer on municipal finance, and the town’s fiscal vital signs ahead of Town Meeting. CURRENT PHOTO / WILL DOWD Nunley Benjamin delivered the news during a “finance forum,” a sort of primer on the town’s fiscal health leading up to this May’s Town Meeting. The…

27 Feb

Over 30 fee hikes proposed on Town Meeting warrant to boost revenue

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, Politics, Top Stories, Town Meeting, Uncategorized

With the publication of Marblehead's 2024 Town Meeting warrant on Friday, voters received their first look at over 30 proposed fee increases for town services. The proposed increases range from 20% to as high as 133% for certain fees. Falling under Articles 31, 32 and 33, the proposed increases target fees assessed by the Building Department, Inspectional Office and Town Clerk's Office. The changes aim to help bridge a $4.2 million gap in the municipal budget for the fiscal year 2025 while modernizing what officials…

21 Feb

Officials: Marblehead’s multifamily zoning plan can pass

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, Town Meeting

Milton voters recently rejected their town's zoning plan under the MBTA Communities Act by an 800-vote margin, but Marblehead officials remain confident their approach will bring them into compliance with the state mandate to create multifamily zoning. Supporters of Milton’s “No” campaign argued that they didn't want Beacon Hill dictating zoning. Marblehead Planning Board member Ed Nilsson believes this sentiment does not widely exist here. "With a well-crafted plan as we have in Marblehead, there is reason to believe it can lead to positive outcomes…

14 Feb

TOWN MEETING: After recent property assessments spark uproar, Select Board plans major overhaul

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Meeting

The Select Board voted unanimously on Feb. 7 to sponsor a warrant article for the upcoming Town Meeting that would transition the Board of Assessors to an appointed (rather than elected) body under the Finance Department. Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer, seen here at a recent Select Board meeting, discussed the proposal to restructure the Board of Assessors. “The assessor's department is responsible for $81 million of a projected $107 million that we have in revenue, yet they operate as a totally independent island,” said…

31 Jan

TOWN MEETING: Voters to take up recalls, year-round leaf blower ban and more

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Meeting

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated at 9:57 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 31. Marblehead can't seem to quit leaf blowers. The perennial issue will again come before Town Meeting this May via three citizen petitions. Town Meeting will decide whether to extend the gas-powered leaf blower ban throughout the year. Lead sponsor Sabrina Velandry of Prospect Street has proposed citizen petitions expanding the existing summertime ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. Velandry's petitions would specifically: — Institute a year-round prohibition on gas-powered…

17 Jan

Voters to get their say on local meals, room taxes

Will Dowd0 CommentsBusiness, Local News, Municipal Matters, real estate, Top Stories, Town Meeting

Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer is proposing a meals and room tax in Marblehead and hopes Town Meeting voters will approve it this May. People staying at the Harborlight Inn could be hit with up to a 6% room tax. CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER Kezer discussed the new taxes at a recent Select Board meeting when he previewed several articles he has prepared for Town Meeting. Town departments have until Jan. 26 to submit articles for the Town Meeting warrant. Several of the plans are…

05 Jan

Town administrator looks ahead after year of change, challenges

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, Politics, Top Stories, Town Meeting

The spacious corner office of Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer boasts a clean standing desk and a long, wooden table. No stray memos. No Post-It Notes. No teetering paper piles. Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer has been steering the town through significant changes, moving more processes online. CURRENT PHOTO / NICOLE GOODHUE BOYD He works nearly entirely off a MacBook and an iPad, reflecting his goal of moving Marblehead toward comprehensive digitization in the year to come. “We spent 2023 putting critical pieces in place — people…