South Shore News...letter: Zoning fights, budget realities, and where services meet strain
From FEMA warnings to municipal electricity opt-ins — the stories town leaders need. Here's what happened.
South Shore boards and committees spent the past week working through some of the most persistent challenges in local government: staffing shortages in public safety, balancing capital investments against limited revenue, and keeping zoning compliant enough to preserve access to state and federal grants. While Abington and East Bridgewater highlighted the strain of running departments below authorized strength, Plymouth and Rockland wrestled with zoning changes that could shape both grant eligibility and the small business climate.
At the same time, Weymouth and Marshfield advanced leadership transitions and key appointments, Whitman launched its long-planned electricity aggregation program, and Scituate heard a blunt warning from former federal officials about looming FEMA and disaster-response cuts. Taken together, the stories point to a fall season where revenue pressure, regulatory detail, and staffing capacity will dominate the agenda across the region.
🏛 Town government & leadership moves
Weymouth — Acting Mayor Molisse explains transition; Route 18 safety pushed to Public Safety Committee. Molisse (Council President sworn in as Acting Mayor after Hedlund’s July departure) recused himself from budget votes through November; the council referred resident complaints about 168 crashes on a stretch of Route 18 (Jan–May) to the Public Safety Committee. Administrative transfers (a $59,063 line-item to fund a new director) and a $5,000 CPA housing request were referred to Budget Management. Read more ». southshore.news
Marshfield — Select Board sets town-administrator salary range and advances big operational items. The board approved a competitive $190k–$210k range for the new Town Administrator (Collins Center guidance cited) and approved property actions connected to housing and airport adjacency. Read more ». southshore.news
Halifax — Finance Committee vacancy filled. Rodney Hemingway was appointed to replace Bill Smith; he’ll act as liaison to several departments during a budget year described by leaders as “high stakes.” Read more ». southshore.news
Plympton — Town Properties chair resigns amid fire-station politics; committee reorganizes. Jon Wilhelmsen stepped down following contentious public reaction to a rejected ~$14M station plan and Board of Selectmen second guessing a historic CPC project; Mark Wallis named the new chair and the committee scheduled follow-ups on HVAC quotes and water project timing. Read more ». southshore.news
Rockland — planner proposes a five-member, community-driven zoning review panel for small businesses. The committee would focus on home-based/cottage businesses, possible tweaks to the DRROD/40R district, and local input on cannabis social consumption regulations; town also approved a CDBG waiver and park improvements. Read more ». southshore.news
🏘 Zoning, housing & planning
Plymouth — Multifamily overlay tweak to preserve MBTA-compliance and grant eligibility. The Select Board recommended Article 14 to add West Wood Village to the multifamily overlay (to meet a 50% contiguity rule) so the town remains eligible for roughly $9–$9.5M of grants received in recent years. The board also pushed a Morton Park culvert project (≈$2M grant), bylaws recodification, and a $400k water-pollution borrowing article. Read more ». southshore.news
Norwell — High Street curb-cut plan alarmed longtime residents. Granite curbing tied to a road project would eliminate some existing driveway cuts; the Laverys raised access and maintenance concerns. Select Board plans to meet the Highway Director to resolve property-by-property impacts. Read more ». southshore.news
🏫 Schools & transportation
Duxbury School Committee — neighborhood parents press for bus routing changes; budget-driven layoffs remain visible. Tinkertown Landing parents asked for the bus to loop into their subdivision (they presented maps/timing to argue it’s safer and time-neutral). The district also reported 260 new student registrations and staffing losses after a failed override; administrators acknowledged lost curriculum/tech supervisor positions. Committee deferred taking action during public comment. Read more ». southshore.news
🚔 Public safety & staffing pressures
Abington — department operating 32% below authorized patrol staffing; seven recruits in academy. Chief Kevin Bonney said Abington is funded for 19 patrol officers but currently has 13; overtime spending has ballooned (FY25 OT budget $140K but used $476K). Seven recruits graduate Oct 10 (field training expected to ease pressure in January). The chief played audio of a solo high-speed pursuit to illustrate current staffing risks. Read more ». southshore.news
East Bridgewater — three new officers sworn in; contract negotiation tensions surfaced. The town sworn in three academy graduates (22-week Academy + 12-week field-training ahead). The meeting also hosted a frank union rep criticism of stalled clerical contract talks and a foreclosure decision to sell a property. Read more ». southshore.news
Rockland — It’s election day for the two Fire Department ballot questions! Polls open 8AM to 6PM. Read more ». southshore.news
⚡ Energy, infrastructure & capital finance
Whitman — municipal electricity aggregation launches with rates locked through Dec 2029. The town contracted with Dynegy; automatic enrollment has an opt-out deadline for residents (must decide by Sept 22). Municipal buildings are on a separate two-year Constellation contract; schools purchase separately. Read more ». southshore.news
Duxbury — multi-million budget strain and $20.66M bond sale for DPW, seawall, PFAS, fire gear. Forecast shows roughly $93M in FY27 sources (a 4.57% rise tied largely to debt exclusions); property tax is 72% of revenue and the town warns about limited revenue levers beyond Prop 2½, new growth, and overrides. Fee hearings (transfer station, beach parking) are scheduled for October. Read more ». southshore.news
Plymouth & Marshfield infrastructure notes. Plymouth’s culvert, water pollution abatement borrowing, and Marshfield’s property purchase and affordable housing moves all show capital timing and grant-management issues that boards will need to shepherd into fall warrants. Plymouth ». southshore.news+1
🌐 Federal policy & regional risk
Scituate forum — former FEMA/USAID officials warn of deep cuts nationally that would hurt local disaster response. Speakers described proposed cuts (FEMA staffing reductions ~30%, elimination of Disaster Survivor Assistance teams, threats to BRIC flood-mitigation funding) and urged local advocacy to protect mitigation and recovery programs. Coastal towns were singled out as especially vulnerable. Read more ». southshore.news
What to watch / action items for boards & committees
Whitman Select Board / energy committee: circulate plain-English opt-out guidance to residents before Sept 22; coordinate with municipal procurement to avoid contract conflicts. southshore.news
Finance & School Committees (Duxbury, Halifax, Marshfield): factor multi-year revenue forecasts and bond payments into FY27–30 planning; expect fee hearings in October. southshore.news
Public Safety & HR: track Abington’s academy graduation dates and field-training schedule; use those dates to model overtime relief and recruiting cadence. southshore.news
Planning & zoning committees: Plymouth’s MBTA compliance decision illustrates how small technical zoning fixes can unlock millions in grant funding — review towns’ MBTA-related maps and contiguity assumptions before fall warrant close. southshore.news
Highway & Select Boards: Norwell’s curb-cut disputes and Weymouth’s Route 18 crash data both argue for early DOT outreach and clear community outreach plans. southshore.news
Nice mesh and analysis.