Hamilton Select Board votes to join North Shore Regional 911 dispatch center

HAMILTON -- September 8, 2025, Hamilton Select Board votes 4-1 to join North Shore Regional 911 dispatch center, ending local dispatch. The board voted Monday after months of public debate, with member Rosemary Kennedy casting the lone dissenting vote and saying she remained "very torn" on the issue. Hamilton's local dispatch center carries an annual budget of approximately $650,000, with four full-time dispatchers at a loaded cost of roughly $120,000 each; one dispatcher has already given notice to leave. Finance and Advisory Committee Chair John McGrath recommended the move with a phased transition, saying the town should "attempt to continue to deliver some personalized service at least in the first year." Hamilton Fire Chief Bernett, citing 36 years on the department, told the board he believed the center was "unsustainable looking forward" despite strong personal ties to current staff. The board also voted unanimously to schedule a Special Town Meeting for December 9, 2025 to consider a zoning overlay district for the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary property, which could yield 209 affordable housing units.