HALIFAX — May 11 and 12, 2026 — In a high-stakes, two-night marathon, Halifax Town Meeting voters moved to restore nearly $1 million in potential budget cuts through a Proposition 2 ½ override, while simultaneously voting to fundamentally restructure town government. Residents approved shifting the Town Clerk and Treasurer-Collector positions from elected to appointed roles, though they drew the line at similar changes for the Highway and Water departments.
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The meeting opened under the shadow of a $1.5 million structural deficit that threatened to gut public safety, education, and senior services. Town Administrator Steven Solbo, in his first 100 days, warned residents against the “unhealthy relationship” the town had developed with using one-time “free cash” to fund recurring bills. The discovery of a $625,000 accounting discrepancy just days before the meeting provided a last-minute reprieve, allowing officials to lower the immediate override request for this fiscal year.
On the first night, debate centered on Article 3A and 3B, the town’s operating and contingency budgets. While the ballot question on Saturday will still ask for a permanent $1.5 million increase to the tax levy, Town Meeting voted to limit the actual appropriation for FY27 to $999,777. This move is intended to restore the “level service” requested by departments—including the retention of a School Resource Officer and a second ambulance—while minimizing the immediate tax hit to residents.
“That is the spirit of tonight, Halifax helping Halifax, neighbor helping neighbor. Now I know there are some folks here tonight that lived on a fixed income, and an override just isn’t in the cards for them. And that’s fine and okay, and if they truly can’t afford it, they shouldn’t vote for it. But if you find you can make a sacrifice in your budget so that our kids can get the best education they can, so that our police and our fire will continue to keep us as safe as they always do, and that our Council on Aging can be the lifeline it is for our seniors, I ask you to do so. Because that is what this is about.” — Jonathan Selig, Board of Selectmen
