The Marion Select Board met on Tuesday in the Police Department for their first meeting following their approval last week of the Town Meeting Warrant. On their agenda were various position appointments, new town policy drafts, and a discussion of the proposed and in-progress Marine Resources Commission Charter.

            First, the board approved the minutes from their March 24 meeting without discussion.

            Next, Cathy Stone, president of Sippican Lands Trust, and John Chester, real estate project manager of Buzzards Bay Coalition, spoke regarding regulations and a land swap from SLT to BBC. The properties in discussion are off Point Road, namely Osprey Marsh, Howland Marsh, and Shaw’s Island. Select Board Chair Randy Parker clarified this land is known for its boardwalk.

            Stone stated a big importance was the groups wanted “double protection” to comprise the properties. The board members approved unanimously and signed off on the transfer.

            Next were appointments. Patricia McKim was appointed as a full member of the Marine Resources Commission with a unanimous vote. She was already approved before she could speak. Davis Sanford was appointed as alternative member to the MRC. He said he has been coming to Marion since he was six years old and has lived in town since 2007. He told the board he has attended meetings for around a year. The board approved this appointment unanimously. Next, Tucker Burr was also appointed as an alternative member of the MRC with a unanimous vote.

            Retired planner Ann Morgan was appointed as alternate member to the Zoning Board of Appeals with a unanimous vote. Dina Nichols stated she’s been on “many boards and commissions over 30 years.” She mentioned she was also a realtor. She was also appointed as an alternate member to the ZBA with a unanimous vote.

            Following the rapid appointment approvals, the Select Board moved on to the approval of the draft of the Revocation, Suspension, and Nonrenewal policy. The draft policy focuses on Board of Health licenses. Town Administrator Geoffrey Gorman said the Board of Health had already looked at it after Select Board Vice Chair John Hoagland requested. The Revocation Policy was approved by the Select Board.

            Next, the Pavement Moratorium Policy had its first read. Chair Parker requested the Planning Board see it. “They ought to know about it,” he said. Member Norm Hils asked if the Department of Public Works had seen it, to which Gorman said they had extensively looked it over. The board tabled the discussion and promised to vote on it at their next meeting following more discussion and inter-department dialogue.

            Next, no representative was present from the Buzzards Bay Musicfest Board of Directors. There was confusion on their application, but Executive Assistant to the Town Administrator Donna Hemphill said the group wanted to allow attendees to be able to park at the Community Center to be shuttled to the festival. Parker requested more information, although the request was granted so long as the Community Center is notified.

            Marine Resources Commission members were present to discuss the MRC Charter. The two town bodies went through the document chronologically, with Parker saying all needed language had been added. In the importance of the charter and putting on paper what responsibilities the MRC has, Hills said, “there’s multiple things that say who does what. Hopefully this will codify it.”

            They discussed membership, clarifying there are seven voting members, two alternates, and two ex-officio who also don’t vote.

            On to duties, MRC member Scott Cowell said they were to keep the Select Board and other town bodies informed on relevant issues, saying they would be “keeping people apprised of what’s going on.” Referring to the harbor and responsibilities pertaining to it, Cowell said, “this town has been spoiled by the last four harbormasters,” mentioning work often done by them that is beyond their cited responsibilities.

            On to the town’s future plans, the Select Board and MRC agreed work on the seawall has to be on the master 10-year plan. They also discussed looking into Bird Island maintenance, agreeing it’s imperative. Dredging and infrastructure are also important to Cowell and the MRC, with Hoagland saying those projects will have to go to capital planning.

            Overall, work on the MRC Charter is ongoing, though they and the Select Board found much common ground at the meeting.

            The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21 at 6:00 pm in the Marion Police Department’s conference room.

Marion Select Board

By Sam Bishop

            On April 2, the Mattapoisett Select Board met jointly with the Finance Committee, Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson and Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber to discuss the FY27 School Budgets.

            The two-hour meeting featured deep dives into funding sources and more than 20 pages of where funds are spent.           

            Barber reported a proposed FY27 Mattapoisett Schools (elementary) budget of $9,039,058, an estimated 4.9% increase over the FY26 local budget of $8,618,094. Barber proceeded to identify some of the “level” operational costs, while explaining the requirements of state law and pay raises resulting from collective bargaining. There are also scenarios of staff replacement in particular teaching positions that mitigate the overall result with new teachers earning less.

            The proposed FY27 budget for Mattapoisett’s portion of ORR Schools is $6,484,945, a 5.75% increase over the FY26 budget to which Select Board Chairman Tyler Macallister expressed concern. He disagreed that the town’s stabilization fund, paid into by the town’s taxpayers, should be sourced to address what he defined as the school district’s problems.

            The basic question coming back from elected officials was one that has been asked on an annual basis: If enrollment is trending downward, why are expenses rising?

            Mattapoisett’s share of the FY27 Old Colony operating budget is proposed at $824,922.

            “We feel that we have been working within the financial parameters that Mr. (Mike) Lorenco (town administrator) has set for the schools in terms of ultimately reporting to the school committee,” said Nelson, who noted the ORR School Committee’s approval of the proposed ORR Schools budget and the then-upcoming vote of the Mattapoisett School Committee of the town’s elementary-schools budget scheduled for Tuesday, April 7.

            Several times during the meeting Finance Committee members returned to the matter of school enrollment and questioned why decreasing enrollment did not equate to a smaller budget. No conclusions were forthcoming, but Nelson also referred to an increase in Kindergarten enrollment with 58 new students currently enrolled.

            Finance Committee member Paul Amoruso asked if the local schools had given any further consideration to merging Old Hammondtown and Center School and asked the school administrators to come up with a plan for the committee’s consideration.

            “Just for the record, we fully cooperated with the Collins study when that was initiated by the town several years ago. We provided every bit of information they wanted, we sat in every meeting, every discussion. We held presentations for the public. Very few if any from the public came to hear it,” said Nelson, recalling five options having been presented to the Select Board and School Committee with associated cost estimates. “We’re happy to participate in that process again, whatever that may look like … I want to be clear, the (ORR) administration and the School Committee fully participated.”

            Lest he sound defensive on the matter, Nelson clarified his response being for the sake of the public record. He later noted that he has ongoing correspondence with Town Administrator Mike Lorenco and said he wishes to comment on those matters when Lorenco can be present. (Lorenco provided some of the financial figures for this article.)

            There was pushback from the Select Board regarding the increase in school budgets with Jordan Collyer saying he could not accept the budgets and would not give them an affirmative vote. Aaron Goldberg, a Finance Committee member, said, “We need an honest effort, a hard look…” at the budgets.

            Also on the agenda was a previously continued, dangerous dog hearing. After careful consideration by the Select Board over the course of two meetings, it was confirmed via vote that Rocco of Cathaway Road must be leashed at all times by owner Mark Brogoli when in the public, must be remained behind adequate fencing, but does not need to be muzzled.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board did not announce the date of its next meeting.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell