Halifax Approves Beach Attendant Position for Summer Season
Board Prepares for Potential Legal Challenges Over MBTA Zoning Non-Compliance
HALIFAX - February 25 - The Halifax Board of Selectmen approves hiring a beach attendant to enforce parking regulations and manage crowds at the town beach during the upcoming summer season.
The position will cover weekends and holidays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting, with the attendant responsible for checking parking stickers and maintaining order at the public beach.
"This has really been a hot topic," says Board Chair John Bruno. "I wouldn't call it a critical hire, but I would say that it may make a difference as far as how the summer goes this year as opposed to the last two years."
The beach attendant position comes in response to concerns from residents living near the beach about overcrowding and traffic issues during peak summer days, particularly holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.
"The neighbors around there, legitimately, are very upset with the amount of people there, with the traffic there," Bruno explains. "Some of that is a public beach, so we expect people to be there. On the other hand, it is also their neighborhood and their backyard."
Town Administrator Cody Haddad notes that the position will cost between $4,000 and $5,000 for the entire season, with funding already included in the proposed budget. The town plans to implement a sticker system this year to better manage beach access.
"We are trying to implement a sticker system this year so residents can get beach stickers," Haddad says. "The goal would be to have a beach sticker. If you have a recycling sticker, that's fine. If not, you need a beach sticker you place on the car."
The board unanimously approved the position, with recruitment efforts targeting high school juniors and seniors. Officials hope to promote the job as beneficial for college applications to attract qualified candidates.
Halifax faces potential legal challenges as one of six municipalities currently non-compliant with MBTA zoning laws after missing the Feb. 13 deadline.
The town received a letter from the Executive Office acknowledging the non-compliance and reminding officials that the zoning requirement is state law. The letter was also sent to Attorney General Andrea Campbell's office.
"We are non-compliance right now. We're not waiting until July. One of six that we are non-compliance," Haddad explains. "July doesn't matter to us as much as that February 13th mattered."
The town administrator recommends scheduling an executive session with town counsel to discuss potential litigation options. He also notes that the town's legal budget will need to increase for the next fiscal year in anticipation of possible legal fees.
"You will see an increase in our legal budget for next year, because I do anticipate this is going to result in legal fees," Haddad says. "While we're trying to be cognizant and cut everywhere else, there's some things such as this that we're going to have to increase and it's not going to be a small couple thousand dollars."
Board members discussed exploring all available options, including potential collaboration with other non-compliant towns. Selectman Jonathan Selig reached out to Middleborough, which was the subject of a state auditor's letter declaring the MBTA zoning law an unfunded mandate.
"I think we need to get counsel involved and consider all options," Selig says.
Selectman Thomas Pratt notes that while only six towns are currently listed as non-compliant, many more may fail to meet implementation deadlines in July.
"Six of the 177 are non-compliant. I would just stress that there are at least that many and probably multiples of that many who are in paper compliance as we voted who will not be in compliance once July hits," Pratt says.
The Board of Selectmen also addressed several other matters during their meeting:
- Received notification that the town's free cash was certified at $1,544,732, approximately 5.37% of the budget
- Approved a memorandum of agreement with the City of Brockton for electricity credits, which will provide a 20% reduction in cost for municipal energy usage for the remainder of the fiscal year, potentially saving up to $60,000
- Authorized the hiring process for a library director to replace Jean Gallant, who is retiring on May 12
- Voted to opt in to the Plymouth County Mosquito Control for fiscal year 2026
- Discussed the town's solid waste enterprise fund, which has shown significant improvement with $307,500 in retained earnings, the highest in the program's history
The board continues to work on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, with public budget meetings with the Finance Committee now underway. A joint meeting with the Finance Committee is scheduled for March 25 to review potential override options.