Hamilton Select Board Votes 5-0 to Pursue $1.34 Million Proposition 2½ Override

HAMILTON — March 25, 2026 — Hamilton Select Board votes unanimously for $1.34 million Proposition 2½ override split between town and schools. The board approved a two-article strategy for the April 11 Annual Town Meeting: a first article funding a basic-services budget within the levy limit, and a second override article of $1,340,505 covering a $260,981 town share — including a new patrol officer, a DPW vacancy, and communications and public safety positions — and a $1,079,524 share for the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District. Town Administrator Joe estimated the average Hamilton household would see roughly $450 in additional annual taxes, or about $112 per quarter, based on an average assessed home value of approximately $816,000. Finance Committee member John McGrath said FinCom had been projecting a roughly $1.5 million override "for a couple of months" and would vote formally Wednesday, calling the 15-plus years without an override "a testament to the quality of the management." The board deferred a decision on placing the Specialized Stretch Energy Code on the warrant after builders testified to real-world electricity bills as high as $4,200 per month in all-electric homes, directing the Environmental Impact Committee to produce a one-page fact sheet and inviting Building Inspector Rich Maloney to the March 2 meeting.