Town Meeting - Marblehead Current

15 Apr

PLANNING BOARD: Controversial MBTA zoning changes head to Town Meeting

Will Dowd2 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Meeting, Uncategorized

Division among residents over a state mandate that the town zone pockets of Marblehead for multifamily housing came through loud and clear during a Planning Board public hearing on April 9. A map shows three proposed MBTA zoning districts totaling over 58.4 acres, with a density of more than 15 units per acre to allow approximately 897 housing units. The hearing came nearly a month before the Town Meeting will vote on the matter under Article 36, exposing the community’s concerns and differing perspectives on…

10 Apr

Town Meeting: Essex Tech provides options for local students

Leigh Blander0 CommentsEducation, Local News, Town Meeting

This article is part of a series looking at key warrant articles leading up to the Town Meeting on May 6. At Town Meeting on May 6, voters will decide an appropriation to Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School for fiscal year 2025 of $468,057, down about $700 from last year. Twenty-five Marblehead students attend Essex Tech currently. Ten will graduate this spring. Another 30 have applied for next year and will learn before April vacation if they’ve been admitted. “We are the vocational…

10 Apr

TOWN MEETING: Reforms, new department on 2024 warrant

Will Dowd0 CommentsBusiness, Local News, Municipal Matters, Town Meeting

This article is part of a series looking at key warrant articles leading up to the Town Meeting in May. A series of articles in the 2024 Marblehead warrant is aimed at bolstering the town's economic future and quality of life, proponents say. The first page of the warrant for Town Meeting on May 6. CURRENT PHOTO / WILL DOWD Articles 34-35 and 37-39 propose governance reforms covering community development, financial oversight and public health. The biggest change proposed would establish a new community development…

28 Mar

Petition opposing MBTA zoning proposal surfaces

Will Dowd0 CommentsBeacon Hill, Local News, Municipal Matters, Politics, real estate, Top Stories, Town Meeting, Uncategorized

EDITOR'S NOTE: In the article "Petition opposing MBTA zoning proposal surfaces," there were two inaccuracies regarding the proposed overlay district in Marblehead. First, the correct maximum building height is 35 feet, even for multi-family buildings. Second, the correct minimum lot area per dwelling unit in the three proposed districts (Broughton Rd, Pleasant Street, and Tioga Way) would range from 2,200 to 2,500 square feet. The Marblehead Current regrets the error. A Marblehead man has initiated an online effort to challenge the town’s proposal related to…

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…