Marshfield Delays Budget Vote Until June 2, Citing Need for Further Analysis
Town Meeting Votes Against Eliminating Elevated Parking Requirement in Brant Rock
MARSHFIELD - April 28 - Marshfield residents vote to maintain the elevated parking requirement for residential developments in the Brant Rock Village Overlay district, potentially impacting future projects including a proposed 87-unit apartment complex.
The Marshfield Special and Annual Town Meetings on April 28 address numerous articles while postponing financial matters until June 2 due to budget concerns.
A citizen petition to eliminate the elevated parking requirement in the Brant Rock Village Overlay district fails after extensive debate. The requirement mandates that residential parking in mixed-use developments be located above base flood elevation.
Nick Drosopoulos, who proposed the article, argues that elevated parking creates financial and logistical burdens for development in the area.
"One of the primary disadvantages of raised parking is the increased cost of construction," Drosopoulos says. "Building above grade requires extension structural support, specialized materials, and design considerations to bear the extra load."
Drosopoulos and supporters contend that grade-level parking is more resilient and cost-effective, adapting better to coastal conditions while maintaining the character of Brant Rock.
Numerous residents speak against the proposal, expressing concerns about flooding, traffic, and the impact of potential development on town resources.
"I'm an engineer," says Skip Terlecki of Ocean Street. "This is going to put high demand on all the town resources and it'll be a major burden on the town in terms of our well water, sewerage, fire, our police, and our schools."
Eric Murphy of Ocean Street, who opposes the plan, describes his experiences with flooding in the area. "The 25 years I've lived there, I've seen 20 floods waist-deep. I've seen floods up to my chest."
Select Board Chair Lynne Fidler clarifies her position on the project. "I am seeing this project just like our residents here are seeing it," Fidler says. "I appreciate the fact that you're here, you're making an attempt to do something with that property, but I'm not in favor of this as I have just heard it for the first time."
The Advisory Board had voted 6-2 in favor of the article as amended, with the majority finding "no reason to restrict the petitioners from exploring viable solutions and possibly building parking on land that they own."
Town Moderator Jim Fitzgerald repeatedly clarifies that the vote concerns only the parking requirement, not approval of any specific development project. In the eventual vote the motion to amend failed, and the elevated Parking remains.
In other business, the town votes to postpone several financial articles until June 2, 2025, to reexamine the budget and address funding issues, including allocations for South Shore Vocational Technical High School.
"We need to reexamine the budget to see if we can rearrange our budgetary guidelines to be able to underwrite that money for the South Shore Voc," Fitzgerald explains.
The town approves multiple Community Preservation Committee (CPC) articles, including:
- $89,500 for safety upgrades to the Daniel Webster Estate
- $71,600 for a new roof at the historic Marshfield Hills fire station
- $150,000 to fund the preservation of a chimney at the historic Winslow House
- $750,000 for ADA-compliant upgrades to town-owned ball fields, playgrounds, and recreation areas
- $50,590 for town-owned recreational trail upgrades
- $1,270,000 for capital improvements to Marshfield High School baseball and softball fields
- $350,000 for a contingency fund for capital improvements at Veterans Park
- $100,000 for improvements at town-owned ball fields
The town also approves Article 3, which grants paid parental leave to bylaw employees, consistent with what union employees already receive.
Article 24, extending military leave policy to all town employees rather than just DPW employees, passes unanimously.
"This article ensures that all of our service members get the same benefit," says Rick Smith of the Advisory Board. "It also ensures that getting called up for military service does not become a financial penalty for our service members and their families."
The town approves Article 4, establishing an Elderly and Disabled Taxation Fund to help defray real estate taxes for elderly and disabled persons of low income. The voluntary program allows taxpayers to check a box on their tax bills to make donations to the fund.
"We all know that the property values in Marshfield have skyrocketed over the last five years and there's never been a more stressful time to be on a fixed income than right now," says Steve Darcy, who presented the article.
The town also approves several articles related to tax relief for disabled veterans and seniors, including increasing income limits for tax deferrals and increasing exemption amounts.
The next town meeting is scheduled for June 2, 2025, at 7 p.m. at Marshfield High School to address the postponed financial articles.
April 24 - The prior week, the Marshfield Select Board votes unanimously to postpone decisions on key financial articles until June 2, allowing for a comprehensive review of the town's budget, particularly focusing on funding for vocational education.
During Thursday's Select Board meeting, Interim Town Administrator Peter Morin recommends delaying action on several financial articles to address an unanticipated $750,000 funding gap for South Shore Regional Vocational Technical School.
"Currently, you don't have funding identified for the Voc Tech," Morin tells the board, explaining that the assessment includes approximately $710,000 for operations and an additional $39,000 for the region's stabilization fund.
The board approves Morin's recommendation to recess the April 28 special and annual town meetings after addressing non-financial articles, then reconvene on June 2 to handle the postponed budget items.
"What I am proposing is that the financial articles that involve free cash be recessed or continued until June 2," Morin says. "This shows respect for the work that has gone into crafting the budget articles and allows for a transparent discussion and deliberation over other available methods for funding the Voc Tech budget."
The postponed items include Articles 2 and 6 from the special town meeting and Articles 2, 3, 4, and 7 from the annual town meeting.
Morin, who has been serving as interim town administrator for less than two weeks, explains that the funding gap represents "six-tenths of 1% of your overall budget," calling it "a fixable problem."
"I can do this in a way that's open and transparent," he assures the board. "I think that I can get everybody on board on this."
Select Board member Eric Kelley expresses concern about the funding gap, questioning why the school department's budget doesn't already include money for vocational education.
"My concern is that over the years, the education budget has covered Norfolk Aggie and South Shore Voc Tech," Kelley says. "I can't see why this year would be the exception and all of a sudden we are short $700,000 when we knew this was going to be an expense coming up."
Town Treasurer Shaun Strobel confirms that the school budget contains only $181,000 for vocational education tuitions, which is "insufficient to cover the assessment."
When asked about obtaining detailed school budget information, Strobel notes that historically, the town does not receive detailed budget proposals from the school department.
"It has not been my experience in other communities," Strobel adds when asked if this practice is common elsewhere.
Morin commits to investigating whether any funds allocated for vocational education exist in the school budget and promises to develop a comprehensive solution before the June 2 meeting.
"I'll make sure that your concern is fully addressed," Morin tells Kelley. "I think we're going to have to reallocate some free cash to address it."
The board also discusses how to present vocational education funding more transparently in future budgets.
"Going forward, since you are going to be a member of a Voc Tech region, breaking it out will be easier for the public to understand where the dollars are going," Morin explains, suggesting that future budgets should separately list public school funding, vocational education assessment, and agricultural school assessment.
Chair Lynne Fidler recommends that all three board members meet independently with Morin weekly after town meeting to stay informed about budget developments.
The board approves a press release informing residents about the postponed articles and the June 2 continuation date.
Town Counsel explains that the recessed meeting approach allows the town to continue using the existing warrants rather than creating new ones for a separate town meeting.
"Adjourning means it's over. Recess means that it's not over, it's just being deferred to another date," he says.
The Select Board emphasizes the importance of transparency throughout the budget review process, with Morin committing to meet with department heads and develop options that can be "fully vetted in public."
"It gives an opportunity for everyone to be heard and participate," Morin says of the process. "It's transparent, and it gets everything done before the end of the fiscal year."
Full meetings available via MCM. April 28 Town Meeting and April 24 Select Board.