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The warrant voters take up Monday is the same one the Select Board voted on at its Sept. 22 meeting, the board was told. What is new is the Finance Committee’s split verdict.

The committee did not recommend Article 16, $25,500 for the Planning Board to update the town’s subdivision control regulations; Article 17, a vehicle for the highway department; Article 23, $20,000 from free cash to replenish the conservation fund; Article 24, a $20,000 survey funded through community preservation; or Article 28, a proposal from the treasurer-collector. It also did not recommend security cameras for the transfer station.

The committee did recommend Article 13, a separate camera request, along with the library article and an alarm system, and referred the warrant’s remaining bylaw changes to town meeting. The board was told the Article 28 recommendation came as no surprise.

Article 24 drew the sharpest reaction. A board member noted the survey money comes from community preservation funds, not town funds, and asked why the committee would object to spending it. Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said the Finance Committee was within its rights but did not know what its objection was, since the money was not coming from free cash. Joe Weeks said it looked like the committee had done the same on all the community preservation articles, and suggested free cash is usually where the committee draws its line.

Kemmett’s overall read was that the recommendations held no major surprises.

The board spent more time on Article 5, which asks voters to transfer $76,664 in free cash for Hanson’s share of replacing the high school staff parking lot. Frank Milisi who plans to address the article on the town meeting floor took up a question that had been circulating: whether Hanson already paid for the work.

A 2022 article introduced in both Hanson and Whitman paid to pave from the main road up to the staff parking lot, Milisi said, not the lot itself. Hanson’s description of that article read essentially the same as this year’s, while Whitman’s specified paving up to the staff lot. He said the earlier wording could have been clearer, and described researching the question and driving past the site the day before the meeting.

And it is indeed, it stops right at the entrance of the staff parking lot where the paving is. The rest of the staff parking lot all the way behind has not been paved.
— Frank Milisi, Select Board 12:09

Milisi said the new article’s language is accurate because the work covers the lot itself, not the access road.

The warrant is at the printer, with 150 copies coming, and the recommendations chart is set in larger type across two pages so voters can read it.

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The board locked in its recommendations on the October special town meeting warrant without the Finance Committee’s, because the informational warrant that goes to voters had to reach the printer the next day. Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said the committee expected to file its recommendations by that same deadline, too late for the board to see them.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say I think we ought to put a pin in these and just vote what our conscience tells us.
— Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett 3:41

In one motion the board recommended 25 articles: 1 through 6, 8 through 18, 20, 21, 24 through 26 and 29 through 31. The point was to put all five members on record, since the recommendation votes at the previous meeting were taken by three and a renumbering of the warrant had forced the board to vote each article again. Articles 7 and 32 were deferred to town meeting.

Article 19 asks for $112,000 in free cash to repave the parking lot at the library and senior center, which the board had placed on the warrant without recommending while free cash remained uncertain. Town Administrator Lisa Green said repairs have left the catch basins higher than the rest of the surface, that the back of the lot is cracked and crumbling, that Meals on Wheels drivers collect meals there, and that people have fallen. Member Joe Weeks moved to recommend it as one of the most heavily trafficked spots used by the town’s most vulnerable residents, and it carried on a voice vote.

About $1.4 million in free cash would be left going into the May Town Meeting if the warrant passes, Town Accountant Eric Kinsherf said. The town put $1.4 million toward last year’s budget, so if new revenue only matches costs Hanson faces roughly a half-million-dollar structural deficit.

Article 28 would let the treasurer-collector write off interest owed on overdue bills through a rate payment agreement. FitzGerald-Kemmett said the board started out inclined to support it, then found it tracks what state law already allows, carries no means test and reaches commercial and industrial property as well as homes. Kinsherf had told the board the write-off was not a good fiscal idea, the chair said. Members put the state-set interest rate on such plans at 8 percent, down from 16 percent. The motion not to recommend carried on a voice vote, and the FitzGerald-Kemmett asked Green to tell the treasurer-collector that the board plans to move to pass the article over at town meeting.

Two conservation commission articles, 22 and 23, total $27,500. 3:41 One is $7,500 for invasive-species treatment at Wampatuck Pond that FitzGerald-Kemmett said has to be done every year. Both were recommended on a voice vote.

Most of the meeting went to the police department’s Flock license plate cameras, with no vote possible because the item had not been posted for one. After a public forum, the board asked the chief for the department’s written procedures on custody of the data and for a reading from legal counsel and the town administrator on what an off-ramp would look like if it later voted to pause or remove them.

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A public forum the week before drew roughly 50 people. Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said the objections crossed every political line and almost none were about the Police Department. Chief Michael Casey described the cameras as an investigatory tool and nothing else — a thirtieth-of-a-second photograph of a car and a plate, after which ordinary police work still has to happen. He said he is “all for the flock cameras” and has had no complaint since the forum. Then he said that if the majority of the town does not want them, “well then I’m here for them.”

The unanswered questions are about the vendor, not the department. Residents asked what data is captured, who holds it, how long it is kept and who else can reach it. Chief Casey said some of those questions were above him and he told people he would find out. The company assures him the data sits in a compliant system, and that is what he has to go on.

“I want to go on record here, I’m not against the flock cameras at all.” — Vice Chair Ann Rein

Rein said her concern sits above the police entirely: once data leaves, the guardrails belong to someone else.

“I’m in a little bit of a moral conundrum of myself because on a personal side I’m not a fan of Flock cameras, but as a select board member it’s also our responsibility to make the best decisions for the town people and keep everybody safe.” — Frank Milisi

Member Frank Milisi has a background in IT. He said the vendor’s third-party audits are published, that he is not especially worried about the data handling, and that he would defer to the chief on whether the tool keeps residents safe. He asked to see the department’s policies first, and to be told if they change.

FitzGerald-Kemmett closed the discussion without a vote and set two conditions before one happens: town counsel reviews the contract, and the department produces its internal rules on who may query the system and what happens when someone violates them.

“I’d really like to make sure that our legal counsel has taken a look at that contract and see whether there’s an off-ramp and what that off-ramp looks like.” — Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett

The chief said he has not heard of any nearby town facing an obstacle to getting out of its contract. He also said his door stays open, and asked residents who learned the cameras exist only from this meeting to email him.

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The Select Board moved through a dense agenda focused heavily on town governance, municipal personnel stability, and finalizing warrant articles ahead of the October 5 Special Town Meeting.

The most urgent discussions centered on Article 13 of the draft warrant, an appropriation of $12,000 in free cash to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) security systems at Camp Kiwanee. Justine Ladroga, Chair of the Camp Kiwanee Commission, appeared before the board to detail an escalating pattern of trespassing, vandalism, and unauthorized access across the campgrounds. Officials reported that individuals have been breaking padlocks, entering rental cabins, damaging trails with electric bikes, and ignoring safety closures at the Cranberry Cove waterfront.

“It is important for the town to fund because while it is a gem, it is a huge liability for the town. And there are children unattended in these cabins. And the last thing we need to happen is a tragedy.” — Justine Ladroga, Chair of the Camp Kiwanee Commission

Town Administrator Lisa Green and Select Board members noted that the proposed camera network will tie directly into the Hanson Police Department’s monitoring systems—an upgrade Camp Kiwanee’s enterprise fund cannot independently support. The Board unanimously voted to place and recommend Article 13 for Town Meeting consideration.

Earlier in the evening, the Board sat as the Wage and Personnel Board to review updates to Article 2-12 of the Town Bylaws. To retain personnel and maintain regional competitiveness, the board raised the wage caps for alternate plumbing, gas, and wiring inspectors up to $75 per inspection call and increased the alternate building commissioner ceiling to $100. The adjustments also set full-time hourly pay ranges for the Executive Assistant and Police Chief Assistant at $30 to $44 per hour and established an Assistant Director of Elder Affairs position to facilitate succession planning at the Senior Center.

Following the wage adjustments, the Board conducted a comprehensive interview with candidate Dan Walsh for the role of Building Commissioner and Zoning Enforcement Officer. Walsh, bringing nearly 35 years of municipal and state regulatory experience—including tenures in Needham, Lincoln, and the state Office of Public Safety and Inspections—addressed board questions regarding long-term commitment and zoning challenges under expanding state mandates. Despite initial scrutiny over his commute from Needham and concerns regarding recent turnover in the department, member Frank Milisi cited Walsh’s stable 30-year employment history across only three agencies. The Board unanimously confirmed Walsh’s appointment effective September 21, 2026.

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At its Tuesday evening session, the Hanson Select Board tackled a packed agenda highlighted by significant progress on the long-negotiated Whitman-Hanson Regional School Agreement. Select Board member Frank Milisi presented the draft updates alongside Whitman-Hanson Regional School Committee Chair Ryan Tressel and Vice Chair T.J. Roffey.

The proposed agreement seeks to replace the operative 1992 document by modernizing financial timelines and protecting member towns. Under the proposal, shared district-wide capital expenses—such as textbook curricula and high school building improvements—will remain part of the operating assessment. However, to prevent budget surprises that could lead to town meetings rejecting the entire school assessment, the draft mandates that the school district provide member towns’ capital committees, finance committees, and select boards with proposed capital requests by October 1 of each year.

While Select Board Clerk Ed Heal questioned whether an October 1 deadline leaves Hanson enough time to incorporate figures into its October Special Town Meeting warrant, School Committee and board members clarified that the October notice establishes a mechanism for Hanson to set aside funds in its school stabilization account in the fall. Those earmarked funds can then be appropriated at the annual May Town Meeting, smoothing out the fiscal impact and syncing Hanson’s appropriations with Whitman’s spring calendar.

The revised regional agreement also codifies two-thirds full-committee vote requirements for major actions—such as school closures—rather than simple majorities of members present. Additionally, the draft mandates that all three governing bodies (the Hanson Select Board, Whitman Select Board, and the School Committee) review and vote to reaffirm the agreement every three years starting in September. If any board objects, the Regional Agreement Committee reconvenes while the existing agreement remains binding. The draft is now headed to legal counsel for all three entities for concurrent legal review.

“I like the fact that this right here does something that we’ve never been able to do before that I’ve ever experienced, which is have an open conversation about the needs in a timely manner. And then we can hone in on a process as we kind of figure it out.” [[02:00:21]] — Joseph Weeks, Select Board Member

Beyond regional education, the board conducted an extensive review of articles slated for the October Special Town Meeting warrant. Town Accountant Eric Kinsherf advised the board that certified free cash is estimated at approximately $2 million, down from $3 million last year after accounting for student transportation, snow and ice deficits, and other commitments. With roughly $950,000 in proposed warrant articles drawing on free cash, the town projects carrying approximately $1 million into May Town Meeting. Kinsherf also reported that $160,000 in state snow and ice reimbursement has been allocated and will be placed in a special revenue fund upon receipt.

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The former Maquan School site is set for a major transformation after the Hanson Select Board backed a coordinated effort combining municipal Community Preservation Committee (CPC) funding and extensive private donations from local contractors.

Town Planner Tony De Frias presented the overarching framework for the parcel, explaining that municipal plans focus on relocating and upgrading the site’s playground closer to the street with modernized, accessible equipment, improved lighting, and enhanced security to deter vandalism. Running parallel to the town’s capital effort, Hanson resident and hospitality construction veteran John Thoms stepped forward with an extensive plan to beautify the surrounding grounds entirely through donated labor, professional services, and building materials.

Thoms coordinated commitments from several local businesses:

• Mendonca Landscaping agreed to construct a patio measuring 20-by-30 feet or larger.

• Bay State Sealcoating will sealcoat and restripe the existing parking lot once ground construction is finished.

• Donated materials will provide a metal roof for a planned 12-by-14-foot community stage, dedicated in memory of late resident John Curry.

• Resident Jim Hickey volunteered to build perimeter seating benches.

Board members raised technical and operational questions regarding municipal gift acceptance and site preparation. Member Joseph Weeks sought clarification on volunteer liability, prevailing wage rules, and future grounds maintenance. Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett and Town Administrator Lisa Green confirmed that Massachusetts procurement regulations allow the acceptance of donated labor and materials provided that volunteers sign standard liability waivers and each gift is formally accepted by the board. FitzGerald-Kemmett also clarified that while the rear portion of the property remains reserved for a potential future fire station, the front acreage is cleared for public recreation. The board approved the concept and authorized the Highway Department to coordinate initial grading, debris removal, and loam application.

“Hanson’s a great town. I bought my parents’ house. I live there now. I raised my three kids there... And I think our elders and the library deserve this as well.” — John Thoms, Hanson Resident & Business Owner

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The update on the Regional Agreement Committee (RAC) negotiations dominated the August 4 meeting. Select Board member and RAC representative Frank Milisi, alongside Whitman-Hanson Regional School Committee Chair Ryan Tressel, presented a series of negotiated terms designed to modernize the district’s foundational agreement.

Key breakthroughs include a comprehensive list of school committee actions that would now require a two-thirds supermajority vote—including amending the regional agreement, grade reconfigurations, school closures, land/building leases, application of excess and deficiency funds, student fees, incurring debt over $10,000, and superintendent hiring, contracting, and termination. Additionally, the Town of Whitman agreed in principle by a 3-2 vote to include non-mandated busing in the district’s operational budget for Fiscal Year 2028 in exchange for the supermajority threshold.

However, friction emerged over shared capital funding mechanisms. Currently, Hanson typically funds capital projects at a town meeting in the fall, whereas Whitman conducts its business in the spring. This timeline disconnect leaves joint regional projects—such as the high school parking lot repaving—stalled when one town approves funding months before or after the other.

School officials proposed language requiring both member towns to place shared regional capital items on their respective spring Town Meeting warrants. Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett firmly rejected baking such a requirement into the binding regional agreement, emphasizing that executive authority over the Town Meeting warrant rests solely with the Select Board. Board member Joe Weeks noted that while communication between the current boards is strong, the legal document must be crafted cautiously to protect future boards and taxpayers.

“This board owns the town meeting warrant. No other entity tells us when or what we’re going to put into our town meeting warrant... I don’t have a problem with the policy, but to bake it into the agreement, I do have a problem with it because it hamstrings us.” — Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett

Tressel and board members ultimately agreed to explore non-binding policy language. Under the proposed compromise, the capital committees from Hanson, Whitman, and the school district would convene early in the annual budget process to review priorities and communicate financial constraints well before town meeting warrants close.

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During a lengthy July 21 meeting, board members debated a proposed compromise to break a stalemate over the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District agreement. Under the proposal outlined by Select Board member Frank Milisi, Hanson would agree to shift non-mandated busing costs into the district’s operating budget starting in Fiscal Year 2028. The shift is estimated to add approximately $54,000 to $65,000 annually to Hanson’s educational costs due to regional assessment formulas.

In return, the district would implement a policy requiring a two-thirds majority vote of the full School Committee for major administrative, financial, and policy decisions. That threshold would grant Hanson representatives a functional veto on critical matters, including regional agreement amendments, capital debt incurrence, superintendent employment contracts, grade reconfigurations, school closures, land/building leases, and major litigation settlements.

While board members generally backed the strategic trade-off, several raised concerns about potential loopholes and requested a comprehensive review by town legal counsel and DESE before formalizing the deal and sending it to Town Meeting.

“What we’re gaining on that is the understanding that in order for them to make any decisions based on these list of items here … there can be no more town line votes at that point.” — Frank Milisi, Hanson Select Board Member

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The meeting opened with a major breakthrough on the Hubble land acquisition. Town Administrator Lisa Green announced that after nearly three years of hovering in administrative purgatory, a purchase and sale agreement has been signed with Hubble Distribution, Inc. The town will purchase approximately 45 acres off Hawks Avenue for $117,500 using funds authorized under Article 17 of the October 2024 Special Town Meeting.

While Select Board Member Frank Milisi raised concerns about potential soil contamination based on past municipal land purchases, Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett and Town Administrator Green clarified that the plot is entirely wooded, clean, and far removed from the primary historical manufacturing site. The property will be held in perpetuity under the care and control of the Hanson Conservation Commission, with closing finalized on July 15, 2026.

“This has been a purchase that has been hovering in the office for at least two and a half to three years in the making... Come July 15th, we are good, ready to go, and July 16th, we’ll record and own the property finally.” — [[27:08]] Lisa Green, Town Administrator

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The special meeting was originally called as an emergency backstop to address a 30-year deed covenant and structural mortgage arrangement affecting the federal public housing complex known as L.Z. Thomas School at 533 Main Street. Moving the asset from federal control into the care of the newly established Hanson Housing Authority Development Corporation required the town to formally sign off on a mortgage discharge by the close of the fiscal year on June 30.

However, right before the gavel fell, the town’s legal counsel intervened, citing unprovided documentation and unresolved wording parameters. The sudden development triggered friction on the board regarding the validity of municipal contracts and the consistency of legal advice from outside housing consultants.

Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett clarified that the town’s attorneys had identified sufficient procedural anomalies to halt the signing in good conscience. Legal representatives from the Hanson Housing Authority countered that a systemic miscommunication had occurred between state officials at the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) and local planners. Housing authority lawyers ultimately assured town officials that a brief delay would not automatically compromise the multi-million-dollar real estate transfer.

“Their counsel told us that they thought it was okay and that there might’ve been a miscommunication... And if it isn’t okay, then it’s going to be on Hanson Housing Authority.” [00:01:39] — Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett

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The meeting began with a joint session of the Wage and Personnel Committee, where officials approved a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for non-union personnel. The increase, which takes effect at the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, covers department heads and non-contract staff such as the library custodian and facilities workers. Town Administrator Lisa Green confirmed the bulk of the funding was already baked into line items approved at the May town meeting. Additionally, Green presented an updated legal opinion confirming that the position of Town Planner and Director of Land Use Oversight will report directly to the Town Administrator rather than the Planning Board, resolving an ongoing structural ambiguity.

The primary focus shifted rapidly during the Select Board session, which brought a highly consequential discussion on local housing policy. James Marathas, Executive Director for the Quincy Housing Authority—which manages Hanson’s housing programs under an interstate management agreement—briefed the board on significant structural changes. Marathas revealed that the federal government is systematically offloading public housing, prompting the recent creation of the Hanson Housing Authority Development Corporation.

This newly formed 501(c)(3) entity is structured to act as a nimble partner to the town, capable of holding deed restrictions, collecting rents, and executing capital improvements completely insulated from the town’s general operating budget.

The revelation directly impacted a pending decision regarding Unit 35 at 902 Main Street, a local condo currently restricted under affordable housing guidelines and valued at $270,000. Under standard rules, the town had a 120-day window to exercise a right of first refusal. At its previous meeting, the Select Board had voted to let the property drop its affordability restriction and head to the open market, operating under the historical assumption that the town lacked the infrastructure to function as a landlord.

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Town Administrator Lisa Green delivered a triumphant update regarding the town’s capital development pipeline, revealing that Town Planner Tony De Frias successfully compiled and submitted four extensive grant applications just ahead of state deadlines. The multi-million-dollar funding requests are strategically directed toward site readiness, Main Street infrastructure improvements, and underutilized property revitalizations. Specifically, the underutilized property funding is targeted at the Plymouth County Hospital property and its adjacent park assets.

Green noted that this application round marks the town’s third attempt to secure funding for the hospital site, but expressed a vastly heightened level of confidence due to changes in state policy. Hanson’s recent compliance with the controversial MBTA multi-family housing mandate has unlocked state doors that were previously closed. “I am hoping that we do get at least one or two now that we are MBTA compliant,” Green remarked, noting that compliance status remains a critical, gatekeeping question on state funding paperwork. The state’s positive shift was further emphasized by a letter from the Governor’s office congratulating Hanson on receiving four previous Community Compact grants, which funded a classification compensation study, an IT infrastructure upgrade, an economic development manual, and the town’s most recent capital improvement plan.

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The public hearing was a remand from district court after a procedural glitch involving an earlier April 28 determination. The owners had appealed that initial ruling, claiming they never received the certified mail notices. This time, notice was served directly in hand, bringing all parties face-to-face in the crowded select board meeting room.

The session opened with a breakdown of multiple terrifying encounters detailed by neighbors. Resident Brian Simonelli recounted a shocking incident from April 13 on Birchbark Drive. Simonelli was walking his eight-pound Maltese when Boone materialized from behind, completely silent.

“This dog—it didn’t attack me, it ambushed me,” Simonelli testified, still visibly shaken. “It came up behind me... and before I knew it, it grabbed my dog right by the neck and picked my dog up... My instincts just took over so I literally got on the ground... and I put my hands in the dog’s mouth and I pulled its mouth open.”

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Moderator Sean Keely opened the meeting to a packed auditorium, setting a tone of fiscal realism by noting the town’s lack of a financial “cushion”. The evening’s heavy lifting began with the Special Town Meeting, where voters quickly reconciled $258,000 for snow and ice deficits and addressed $16,400 for leaking skylights at the Middle School.

The Annual Town Meeting centered on the tension between Hanson’s infrastructure needs and its limited revenue. The most contentious debate surrounded Article 32, the $33.4 million renovation and expansion of the Hanson Public Library. Library Director Karen Stolfer and the Trustees argued that the current 1990-era building was determined to be too small by the state from the day it opened. Supporters emphasized that the town had secured a rare $12.5 million state grant, which would be lost if the project did not move forward now.

However, the Finance Committee urged caution, with Chairman Kevin Sullivan labeling the expansion a “nice to have” during a period when the town faces a projected $2 million to $3 million deficit next year. Despite these concerns, the article passed the required two-thirds threshold after a hand count, finishing 177 in favor to 65 opposed.

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The meeting’s focal point was a harrowing “dangerous or nuisance dog” hearing regarding a eight-month-old Belgian Malinois residing on Birchbark Drive. Residents arrived in force to testify about a string of incidents beginning in early April, including attacks on a nine-year-old boy on a bike [46:11], an unprovoked assault on a neighbor walking a beagle on Easter morning [56:33], and a brutal “ambush” on a resident and his eight-pound Maltese. [49:12]

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The meeting opened with a sense of urgency as the Board worked to finalize the May 4 Annual Town Meeting warrant before it headed to the printers the following morning. While the session began on a celebratory note—honoring Vice Chair Ann Rein’s birthday [00:51]—the mood quickly shifted to the grim realities of the town’s fiscal year 2026 budget.

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The fiscal reality for the Town of Hanson took center stage during Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting. Town Accountant Eric Kinsherf and Town Administrator Lisa Green presented a “grounded” view of the town’s financial position, revealing that the town needs approximately $2 million in free cash just to balance the current budget proposal [38:06]. The primary culprit for the strain is a massive $600,000 deficit in the snow and ice account, a result of a winter that “hammered” the town with multiple severe storms [42:16].

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