South Shore News...letter: Leadership Exodus Meets Budget Crisis

South Shore Towns Exhaust Fiscal Tricks as Override Season Looms

South Shore Week in Review

The most striking pattern across this week’s municipal meetings wasn’t the budget gaps themselves—those are becoming numbingly familiar—but the creative accounting communities are deploying to avoid political reckoning. From Norwell’s “cautiously optimistic” reprieve built on a $145,000 state aid bump to Whitman’s shift from a 5% school funding placeholder to a proportional revenue formula, towns are exhausting every fiscal maneuver before admitting the override math doesn’t work anymore.

Meanwhile, leadership transitions accelerated across the region, with Abington losing three of five Select Board members while simultaneously securing a five-year town manager contract, and Halifax’s new administrator inheriting both a capital crisis and MBTA compliance threats worth $1 million in grants. The message from Plymouth’s public safety chiefs was perhaps most direct: “We’re over the tipping point.”

Budget Crisis: The Override Paradox

Weymouth School Committee Chair Tracey Nardone delivered the week’s bluntest assessment, declaring she “will not accept” a 1% budget increase and calling for a Proposition 2.5 override to prevent “significant damage” to schools. The frustration reflects a broader reality: even communities that recently passed overrides still face structural deficits.

Abington School Committee revealed a $1.76 million gap requiring cuts to approximately 30 staff positions—nearly 10% of the workforce—under a level-funded scenario. Dr. Felicia Moschella warned the reductions would “impact every school and really every child’s experience,” with specific positions to be named at the February 24 meeting.

Whitman is grappling with a $1.36 million deficit and shifting from the traditional 5% school placeholder until the Regional School Committee assesses them to a proportional formula giving the regional district 60% of new revenue and the town 40%. Under this model, the immediate “town side” deficit would be reduced to roughly $700,000.

Whitman-Hanson Regional faces a $4.7 million fixed cost increase for FY27, driven largely by a $1.3 million jump in retirement insurance. Acting Superintendent Dr. John Marcus proposed $1.2 million in staffing reductions totaling nine positions, though he emphasized “the focus is really on administrative functions as much as we can to avoid the classroom.” The district has been overspent by approximately $1.5 million in each of the last two years.

The week’s lone fiscal success story came from Hingham, which achieved a balanced $38.5 million municipal budget within its self-imposed 3.5% growth cap. Town Administrator Tom Mayo credited a $1.4 million drop in collective bargaining retro-payments and strategic staff retirements. Hingham Schools presented a $72.8 million preliminary budget adhering to the same cap, though Superintendent Katie Roberts warned the district is reaching a “tipping point” after cutting 26 positions over three years. The district relies on “efficiencies” including geothermal heating at the new Foster School and electric buses, and remains one of just 15 Massachusetts districts charging for full-day kindergarten.

Norwell avoided a 2026 override with a balanced $69 million budget, aided by an unexpected $145,000 state aid boost. However, Town Administrator Darleen Sullivan warned of a “structural deficit” through 2032, driven by shared costs that have increased 44% over six years while revenue stagnates. Select Board member Andy Reardon cautioned: “You can’t have your cake and eat it too without at some point having the chickens come to rest.”

Infrastructure Emergencies

Duxbury confronted a $13.4 million road maintenance backlog revealed by a new AI-driven pavement management study. The town needs approximately $1.4 million annually just to maintain current road quality—nearly triple the typical Chapter 90 state funding of $536,000. A $2.8 million override question will appear on the March ballot, a year after voters rejected a $5.8 million override.

Halifax weighed Silver Lake Regional’s ambitious “Net Zero” capital plan addressing $50 million in immediate maintenance needs across the high school and middle school ($73 million if delayed a decade). School Committee member Jason Fraser proposed repurposing a $700,000 mortgage rolloff into the stabilization fund, maintaining a $1.3 million annual investment from the three member towns. However, Board Chair Jonathan Selig warned Halifax is “up against it financially this year” with potential reductions in force, making the $250,000 Halifax share politically difficult even as it prevents future tax increases.

Cohasset received an update on the redesigned Public Safety Facility at 135 King Street, which now eliminates the fire substation to reduce costs. Select Board member Paul Grady objected strenuously, calling it a “crazy errand” that would lock the town into an inadequate Elm Street station for 50 years. Police Chief Quigley emphasized his department is “shovel ready” and receiving citations, declaring “we are without a police station right now.”

Leadership Transitions

Abington appointed Michael Maresco as permanent Town Manager in a unanimous 5-0 vote following public interviews with three finalists. Maresco, who brings 44 years of government experience, stated bluntly that an override is the “only way” to sustain current services without drastic cuts. The Board also withdrew its warrant for four additional police officers and engaged in a heated debate over proposed animal licensing regulations, with member Kevin Donovan calling the backyard chicken registration requirements “complete and utter overkill.”

Just two days later, Abington approved Maresco’s five-year contract while simultaneously witnessing a massive board turnover: Chair Roger Woods resigned effective April 24, Vice-Chair Suzanne Djusberg announced she won’t seek re-election, and Kevin Donovan confirmed the same. Three of five Select Board seats will appear on the April 25 ballot during what Woods called a “tough budget cycle.”

Halifax officially welcomed new Town Administrator Steven Solbo in his first meeting. Solbo warned that the town’s non-compliance with the MBTA Communities Act threatens Green Communities grants worth potentially $1 million over four years, calling it a “monkey wrench” for future funding.

Whitman-Hanson Regional unanimously approved Matt Wells as Interim Business Manager, stepping in during the height of budget season with experience in Norton and Marlboro districts.

Pembroke witnessed an extraordinary 15-minute public critique when former School Committee Chair Patrick Chilcott delivered a blistering indictment of Town Manager Bill Chenard’s administration. Chilcott alleged “tanked” morale, high turnover, nearly $800,000 in returned ARPA funding due to “poor execution,” and a “ridiculously narrow” investigation into a November 2024 workplace incident. He concluded: “Sometimes to save the body, you have to cut the cancer out” and threatened to run for Select Board in 2027. The town’s finance department is effectively vacant following the departure of the town accountant and assistant accountant. Despite internal tensions, Pembroke secured $1.7 million in grants in 2025, and DPW Director Joe Daiute reported snow contractors have plummeted from 44 in 2015 to just 23 today due to insurance requirements.

Regional Collaboration & Modernization

Hanson voted unanimously to pursue a regional Veteran Services District with Hanover, sharing full-time VSO Terrence O’Keeffe while creating a new 19.5-hour Veterans Benefit Administrator position to handle Chapter 115 paperwork. Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett praised the “two for the price of one” approach while requesting provisions for shared performance reviews.

Kingston unanimously accepted a comprehensive ADA Transition Plan prepared by the Institute for Human Centered Design. Town Planner Valerie Massard emphasized the plan is essential for grant eligibility: “We have been told that we are not qualified for grants because we haven’t had this plan in place.” The Board also authorized expansion of the police department’s jail diversion program from three towns (Kingston, Halifax, Plympton) to five (adding Hanson and Carver) with a second full-time clinician.

Rockland School Committee reviewed a $100,000 capital request for Pearson MyMathLab to replace “tired” and “obsolete” math materials nearly 12 years old. The six-year license includes a “Help Me Solve This” feature providing step-by-step guidance rather than final answers. The committee tabled final approval pending further review, with funding to be decided at May Town Meeting.

Public Safety Crisis

Plymouth Police and Fire Chiefs warned the Select Board that emergency services have reached a “tipping point” amid a 34% population explosion. Fire Chief Neil Foley reported 14,046 calls in 2025—the busiest year in department history and a 10% single-year increase. Police Chief Dana Flynn revealed 16 vacancies leaving staffing 26% below the national average, with single officers patrolling sectors as large as 43.5 square miles (larger than Brockton and Norwell combined). Response times have increased 16% since 2023. Nearly 52% of all 911 transports now involve patients over age 65. Chiefs are advocating for a new joint public safety complex and a SAFER grant for 20 additional firefighters. The Board approved five solar Power Purchase Agreements projected to save $246,000 annually and $4 million over 20 years, while a motion to eliminate Select Board stipends failed 1-4.