The Marion Special Town Meeting was held on Monday, November 24 at 6:45 pm at Sippican School. Of the two articles voted upon, Article S1 passed with an absolute majority and Article S2 was postponed until the next Town Meeting.

            Article S1: To see if the Town will vote to amend Chapter 20 (Zoning) of the Code of Marion by adding the following article after Article XII: Article XIII – Stormwater Management Bylaw, commonly known as MS4. This article passed, with fewer than five “nay” votes.

            Article S2 (Citizens’ Petition): To see if the Town will vote to authorize and direct the Marion Water Department, to establish permitting (residential) property owners to install, at their own expense, a secondary meter for outdoor water usage, such as lawn irrigation, gardening, feeding of livestock, swimming pools, or other non-sewer activities. This article was postponed to the next Town Meeting, May 2026.

            Into the events of the meeting. Andrew Daniel had a lot of speaking to do on that night. As chair of the Marion Planning Board, he has worked extensively on the MS4 bylaw. He is also the citizen who submitted the Citizens’ Petition regarding water meters.

            Referring to Article S1 (MS4 bylaw), Daniel said if it were to pass, public hearings with the Planning Board will begin in December. He clarified certain aspects of the bylaw that pertain to roads. He stressed maintenance of preexisting roads wouldn’t trigger action or further regulation, but new roads or extensive alteration would. For most requests, Daniel emphasized that most MS4 regulating would be done through the Planning Board with the remaining going through the Building commissioner’s office.

            After little more than 10 minutes of deliberation, Article S1 passed with few “nays,” well over two-thirds majority voting in favor.

            Next was the big event for the night, discussion around Article S2, the Citizens’ Petition submitted by Daniel, who stated he was originally inspired to make the petition by doing yard work and then speaking to those in other towns such as Fairhaven. Representatives in other towns told Daniel it was the “right and fair thing to do.” He said, “I know in years past it’s been talked about, to add a second meter, [but] it’s just talked about all the time.” He added, “Nothing ever comes of it. The conversation ends up dying. I felt like a Citizen’s Petition was a good way to get the conversation going.”

            Following Daniel, Vice-Chair of the Select Board John Hoagland gave a presentation pertaining to town debt, water and sewer enterprise accounts, and possible effects from widespread second-meter adoption. Hoagland agreed changes should be made but said time and consideration must be taken in order “to implement minimal and fair sewer-rate changes, how to generate sufficient sewer revenues to meet sewer enterprise expenses and debt obligations.”

            He noted the town has a current Water Department debt of $7,400,000, with the town paying $893,000 in principal and interest payments on said debt. He then said, “sewer gets much more interesting,” citing the sewer debt of $25,115,000 with the town paying $2,000,000 annually on principal and interest payments. The total town debt is $41,900,000 with an operating budget of $16,000,000. In order to maintain order in this delicate balance, Hoagland and the other Select Board members recommended an indefinite postponement of the article in order for Water and Sewer commissioners (the three Select Board members) to find equitable solutions which also don’t lead to the town facing hardship in debt payments.

            In their worst-case scenario estimates, Hoagland cited around a 12% revenue loss from secondary-meter proliferation. Before disputing, Daniel, began, “I don’t want it to be a screaming match about water prices.” He noted all new buildings being required to hook into sewer per the Board of Health, especially focusing on the large-scale housing developments in the works.

            Resident Vincent J. Malkoski recommended efforts be bolstered to get everyone on town sewer. Select Board member Norm Hills said efforts are underway to get more on sewer hookup following the Spring Town Meeting.

            Resident Jonathan Henry commended making things more fair but didn’t support an indefinite postponement. He wanted to keep the conversation going to find a solution.

            A motion to cut off debate passed. The vote for indefinite postponement failed with around 10-15 votes in favor, including the Select Board.

            Not long after, another resident recommended and put a motion forth to postpone to next Town Meeting, rather than indefinitely, putting a time limit and ensuring urgency for discussion. This motion was quickly seconded by Select Board members.

            The motion passed with over a two-thirds majority of voters.

            Regardless of anything, this was a productive night for Daniel, who worked extensively on Article S1 as chair of the Planning Board and was the original proposer of the Citizens’ Petition, Article S2. He stated he wanted to get the conversation started, and the night surely showed that is the case, as it will continue to the lead up to the next Town Meeting in May of 2026.

Marion Special Fall Town Meeting

By Sam Bishop

            The November 19 meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board found the board fielding questions regarding the selection of Luke Mello as the new Animal Control officer.

            Earlier in the proceedings when the agenda item… “possible vote to fill the position” was discussed, Town Administrator Mike Lorenco explained the process used to evaluate two candidates vying for the position. That explanation was followed up with a statement released by Lorenco on November 21. It stated, “The town is issuing this statement regarding the hiring process for the natural resource officer position.”

            After extensive consideration, the town posted the position when employment terms could not be mutually agreed upon with an internal candidate as outlined during the November 19 meeting of the Select Board. The town followed the Police Department’s standard interview process to evaluate applicants.

            The interview panel consisted of long-term town employees collectively bringing more than 60 years of service to the community, as well as an external representative from a neighboring community. Two of the town employees on the panel are also residents of Mattapoisett, ensuring both professional and local perspectives were represented. Following the panel’s unanimous recommendation, the Select Board moved forward with the appointment, announcing the selection of Mello.

            The notice went on to say, “Thomas Gomes is currently a town employee, his existing position has not been eliminated as part of this process. No further comment will be made as the town does not discuss personnel matters beyond the information provided in this release.” Gomes has been performing Animal Control duties.

            In other business, the board held a tax classification public hearing, beginning with Chair of the Board of Assessors Ray Andrews and Administrator of Assessing Mia Robertson. After a presentation, it was decided to maintain a single tax rate, which has historically been in place. It was noted that for fiscal year 2026, there was around $2,000,000,000 in real property and that the average home price was $805,000 for a single-family home with an average tax bill of $8,000. New growth stood at $46,000,000.

            An update from Charles Engineering regarding Long Wharf was on the agenda. The report stated that the firm has been working on securing permits from various agencies. Select Board member Tyler Macallister asked when construction might begin, given that the project has been on the drawing board since 2012. The board was told that that project is in the design phase and that cost estimates will follow after design is finalized.

            Member Jodi Bauer asked how the project will be funded. Lorenco said grants will be sought.

            The Select Board also approved a variety of licenses, primarily for the sale and consumption of wine and spirits. Lorenco said that inspection of such establishments will take place before licenses are issued.

            Visit the town’s website for details on the tax rate and economic data at www.mattapoisett.gov/157/Assessors.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, December 9.

Mattapoisett Select Board & Board of Assessors

By Marilou Newell