Hanson Select Board Approves Revised Override Ballot Question
Board clarifies $3 million request will fund schools, police, fire and other town departments
HANSON - April 8 - The Hanson Select Board has approved revised language for a $3 million override ballot question that will appear before voters in May, making it clearer that the funds would support multiple town departments, not just schools.
The board voted unanimously to rescind the original ballot language and adopt new wording that specifically mentions the override would fund "the general administrative cost of operating the schools, police department, fire department and other town departments" for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025.
"It's much clearer," said Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett before the vote.
Town Administrator Lisa Green explained the change was necessary because "there's been some confusion that this override is only for the schools, even though in the last sentence [of the original wording], it does say both the town and the schools."
The revised language aims to eliminate any misunderstanding about how the funds would be used if voters approve the measure.
The board also discussed plans to hold three public forums about the override in April to provide information and answer residents' questions. The forums are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 24 at 9 a.m. at the Senior Center, and Wednesday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m.
"This isn't meant to be throwing tomatoes at people or getting combative with people," FitzGerald-Kemmett said. "It's meant to really be a forum for people to sincerely ask honest questions that they have about how did we get here, what are we doing about it, what's the proposal on the table."
Board member Joe Weeks emphasized the importance of having a structured approach to the forums.
"I think the more structured this can be, the better. Because the point of it, I'm assuming, is to get information out," Weeks said. "You don't want it to go sideways with other things that could happen that would prevent us from being able to get as much information out as possible."
Green reported that a town-wide survey on budget priorities has received 328 electronic responses so far, with additional paper surveys still being collected from the Council on Aging.
"We're really hoping that by April 18 we can get all the printed copies so they can begin to compile that," Green said.
The survey is accessible through the town website, where residents can find a QR code or direct link. Green noted that after receiving feedback about technical issues, they fixed a problem where clicking on the word "link" in the flyer led to an error page.
"Please take the survey. It's really important," Green urged residents.
FitzGerald-Kemmett requested that the survey be promoted more on social media and in the local newspaper to increase participation. *editor’s note: link here
In other business, the board:
* Approved a high school senior civics project to clean up and repair the town skate park, with the students planning to paint over graffiti, clean up trash, and perform minor concrete work at no cost to the town
* Voted to place and recommend several articles for the upcoming May town meeting, including one to create a library building committee
* Approved the appointment of Scott Rothwell to the Economic Development Committee for a three-year term
* Voted to support setting aside 3.2 acres of the former school property for a potential future library project
* Discussed moving the May annual and special town meetings to Whitman-Hanson Regional High School to accommodate more attendees
* Received an update on a $89,500 Green Communities grant application focused on improving the police station's building envelope and replacing water heaters with more efficient electric heat pump models
The board also addressed concerns about a potential change to the Whitman-Hanson Regional School Agreement regarding non-mandated busing expenditures. FitzGerald-Kemmett reaffirmed the board's position against any amendment that would shift costs to Hanson.
"I will continue to support the position that this board took with respect to the non-mandated busing and we will not be accepting that change," she stated.
Green reported that the town is finishing interviews for the IT director position and plans to present one or two candidates at the April 15 meeting.
The board also learned that the generator for the Library Council on Aging is being shipped, though no arrival date has been provided.
The next Select Board meeting is scheduled for April 15, with the May Annual and Special Town Meeting set for May 5, 2025.