Halifax Board of Select-men met jointly with the Finance Committee on Tuesday, Oct. 22, to discuss the beginning of what is anticipated to be a difficult budget season.
Town Administrator Cody Haddad addressed everyone saying, “If you’ve spoken with me regarding the financial picture of the town since I’ve been here, you know that I’ve been saying fiscal 2026 is going to be the start of a challenging couple of years for the town. When you look at new growth projects that we have coming down the line, it’s limited.” He continued, “To give you somewhat of an idea, new growth three or four years ago was around the $300,000 range; this year, for fiscal ’26 we’re anticipating about $80,000 in new growth, so that’s a huge reduction.” Had- dad said that a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, and School Committees will take place on Thursday, Dec. 12.
Haddad said that they are asking the departments to pro-vide them with a level services budget. This includes salary increases, etc. that have to be included in order to maintain level services. The town is also asking departments to provide a version of the bud- get with a ten percent cut that reflects a reduction with the least impact.
Haddad said that one of the reasons for the deficit this year is that Silver Lake used one-time funds last year in the amount of $750,000 from excess and deficiency. The schools represent roughly 55 percent of the town’s total budget. “They did that because… with the amended regional agreement, they are going to get what’s called Circuit Breaker funds which is a reimbursement from special education from the three school districts… what that means is they’ll be okay, but that revenue is coming from the towns so we’re going to lose that revenue which is going to create somewhat of a fiscal cliff for the towns,” Haddad said. He continued saying, “on top of that, Halifax Elementary School, last year, also used ap-proximately $50,000 of school use/building utilization funds, so basically you rent out the gym and pay a fee; there was $50,000 built up… so between those two areas, you’re needing to make up those one-time fund increases this year on top of whatever increase they bring forward.” Following the conversation on the bud-get, the Finance Committee adjourned and the Selectmen continued with their meeting.
Jeremy Gillespie appeared before the Board to request changing the Alewife Restoration Committee name to the River Herring Restoration Committee. Alewife are a type of fish known as river herring. Haddad said that in partnership with the Department of Marine Fisheries, Halifax was awarded a $25,000 grant from the Taunton River Watershed Alliance. Haddad said the end goal is to restore efforts of migratory fish.
The Selectmen held a joint meeting with the Zoning By-law Review Committee to dis-cuss the timeline for proposed amendments and feedback from the MBTA zoning public forum. Haddad said they had discussed just bringing the MBTA zoning bylaw changes to Special Town Meeting while Selectmen Chair John Bruno, who was joining the meeting virtually, said that they were discussing putting specific zoning changes on the Town Meeting warrant while other zoning changes would be on the annual Town Meeting warrant. “Most of the stuff in the zoning bylaw change is, I don’t think, controversial… and I wouldn’t add a controversial issue like the MBTA issue override the careful con-sideration of the zoning bylaw changes,” Bruno said distinguishing between the two.
They also discussed the MBTA zoning in greater depth. The MBTA Communities Act asks communities to designate a zoning ordinance or bylaw which would allow for multi-family housing. Communities that do not come into compliance stand to lose grant funding. Bruno said, “I’m recommending that we take out the provisions that put in affordable housing and 40B requirements for any new building and also the mixed commercial use part of it.”
A member of the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee spoke saying, “I don’t necessarily believe that the option for mixed-use should be taken out as we just talked in the budget piece that we had no new growth here or very little.” Haddad clarified that the affordable housing com-ponent of the MBTA Communities Act is actually not 40B. “The affordability requirement is just an affordability requirement… it’s another form of affordable housing, but it’s not 40b,” he explained. He continued, “If you left the afford-ability requirement in this and someone built that, it would not be a 40b, it would just be one unit out of every 10 would have to be affordable.” Select-man Jonathan Selig said that he does think he agrees with leaving the mixed-use component. The Selectmen voted to remove the ten percent afford-able housing component of the MBTA 3A zoning changes.
The Board of Selectmen approved two Eagle Scout projects. Aiden Merry plans to create a new Police Station sign that will stand up to the elements. Additionally, a new flower bed will be created. Shane Devaney plans to replace the three wooden benches near the HOPS play-ground. Both Scouts plan to fundraise for the cost of materials. “These three benches might be the most prime spot in town. They really are beautiful, they’re under the trees – you have a beautiful view right down the soccer field, you have families sitting there; I’ve seen countless people sit-ting there having lunches and I think at least one of them is pretty rough,” Selig said.
The Selectmen accepted a $10,000 donation from Mac-Donald Industries for Holidays in Halifax on the second Saturday in December. The donation will be used to put on the fireworks display.
Haddad told the Select-men that they have received a $50,000 grant from the Department of Energy and Resources to fund feasibility and engineering design for the electrification of Halifax Elementary School. He said that this grant would allow for even more grant funding to complete the various projects, when the time comes.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, Oct. 8. They had a discussion regarding budget season. Town Administrator Cody Haddad said that he would be looking for a level services budget from each of the departments. Additionally, he said he would be asking for a version in which they cut 10 percent should it end up being needed. He said that based on projections, he doesn’t see the town being able to provide a balanced budget at Town Meeting without an override or significant cuts. “The schools used one-time funds last year to supplement their budget which helped them get through last year, but that creates a fiscal cliff this year on top of whatever increase they’re going to see,” Haddad said. He added that he wouldn’t see the schools’ budgets until January.
Selectman John Bruno said that he doesn’t see an operational override passing nor does he believe he would support one. Haddad said that in the history of Halifax there have been three operational overrides that passed including 1992 to fund the elementary school budget, 2003 to fund Silver Lake, and in 2006 to pay for four firefighters. He did note that operational overrides had failed to pass during many other years.
Haddad told the Selectmen that they received a $221,000 Green Communities Grant which will take care of some heating and A/C concerns at Town Hall, HVAC concerns at the police station, and weatherization of several buildings. He said that a lot of the work would have been capital items had they not received the grant. Haddad also said that they are working to submit a grant to investigate potential regionalization of the elementary schools.
The Selectmen met with new Conservation Agent Katelyn Putt. The position is being shared with the town of Bridgewater. Putt said that while she was new to conservation she has a background in environmental consulting. She will be working in Halifax on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The Selectmen discussed adding their support for the Community Preservation Act (CPA). The CPA is meant to assist towns in preserving open space and historical sites, create affordable housing, and develop outdoor recreational spaces. Chairman of the Ballot Committee to support the Community Preservation Act Candace Kniffen had appeared before the Selectmen during a previous meeting asking for their support and advocating for the potential funding sources for many types of community projects.
Selectmen Thomas Pratt said, “I will be a no vote on this, not because I don’t agree with the merit of the operation, but because I believe I’m being charged with representing the town and the average taxpayer.” He expressed concern over the average household being able to afford an increase in taxes. Selectman Jonathan Selig said he was abstaining due to his involvement with the Committee. He did, however, say that there were income exemptions so that people that couldn’t afford it, wouldn’t be required to pay for it. He said that preserving open space was his biggest priority. Bruno said that he felt that it was a good thing to do and said that people should vote for or against it based on their own ability to pay. The payments will equal two payments of $44 per family annually. The Selectmen elected not to take a vote to support it or not since they were split in their opinions.
Haddad told the Selectmen that they have procured a project manager for the new Council on Aging project at a maximum cost of $220,000. Colliers Engineering & Design will be the project manager. They presented before the Municipal School Building Committee who will be overseeing the project. The Selectmen reviewed the draft contract with Collier. Haddad laid out the timeline saying that the actual construction would begin in early 2026 with the goal of being in the new Council on Aging by late 2026 or early 2027. The Selectmen approved the contract.
The Selectmen discussed the MBTA Action Plan public forum that was taking place later that week. They mentioned that it would be attended by Senators Michael Brady and Kathy LaNatra. They also made it clear that the public forum was meant to be informational and not an endorsement of any kind. “The goal of the meeting is to provide information and not to debate whether we should adopt it or not,” Haddad said. Bruno added, “there’s a disconnect between what will be on the warrant and what people are mad about… what is not going to be on the warrant and will never be on the warrant is ‘do we approve of 3A’… what will be on the warrant is a zoning change… driven by the requirements of 3A but we can make the zoning change even without 3A if we wanted to.”
Before adjourning, a resident in attendance said that he was upset that the town boards and committees met, finished their agenda, and never gave the public in attendance a chance to speak.
Bruno said that he doesn’t agree with a public session portion of a meeting as it opens the meeting to anyone being able to come in and speak to anything.
He further said that there have been court rulings regarding open session as it can result in slander, etc. Bruno did note that the public is welcome to come and speak to items listed in the meeting agenda.

Samantha Perry
Express correspondent
Pine duBois, Executive Director of the Jones River Watershed Association and President of Jones River Landing Environmental Heritage Center, is rallying the South Shore community in an effort to keep River Herring swimming through our waterways as nature intended.
In 1975, duBois rented a property on Kingston shores and fell in love with the ecosystem surrounding her. She has been an advocate ever since. As previously reported, JRWA posted a petition to “Free the Fish” on change.org. The goal of the petition is to convince decision makers in Brockton to restore Silver Lake’s water level in order for young River Herring to exit the lake and make their way to Cape Cod bay.
As mentioned in the petition, work is being done to find a long term solution, but time is almost up for this years’ population of River Herring and they have not yet met their signature goals. Consider signing in support of JRWA’s efforts to demand immediate action from the city of Brockton to resolve this issue before the cold weather hits.
These efforts are not just for the love of fish, though it may play into the motivation of some supporters, but to correct the far-reaching disruption Silver Lake’s critically low water level causes. When Silver Lake is at appropriate water levels, River Herring can freely migrate to the Jones River, the largest river in Cape Cod Bay, via a fish ladder. The health of Silver Lake and Jones River ecosystems contribute directly to the health of Cape Cod Bay and ultimately the Gulf of Maine fisheries. Right now, these areas are suffering because the River Herring were trapped in Silver Lake during the months that they typically migrate, July through September.
A significant number of South Shore towns were under water restrictions over this period of time, including towns that border Brockton such as Easton, West Bridgewater, and Abington. Brockton was not under any water restrictions, but they have seen success in increasing Silver Lake’s water levels through conservation in the past. During a long drought in 1986, Silver Lake was drained almost entirely. Massachusetts barred new water hookups in Brockton until they found an additional source for drinking water. This forced the city into funding the creation of the Aquaria Desalination plant now located in Dighton, Massachusetts. While this project was underway, Brockton took measures to conserve water and upgrade their pipes and meters which ultimately drove down water use and allowed Silver Lake to sustain the community again.
Present day, Brockton relies on the Silver Lake Reservoir as its primary source of water with the Brockton Reservoir and Aquaria Desalination plant as its second and third sources of water. According to the 2022 Brockton Annual Water Quality Report, the most recent report available on the city’s website, “the Aquaria desalination plant typically provides drinking water to the city during the summer months, when demand is highest.” With multiple sources of water available, the Jones River Watershed Association is calling upon Brockton Mayor, Robert F. Sullivan to direct these resources into Silver Lake to free the fish, and keep the South Shore of Massachusetts connected to the larger ecosystem.
“Fisheries are in major decline. There is no cod for people to catch because there are no juvenile River Herring to feed them. Everything is interconnected,” says duBois, “we want to help Brockton recognize that they need help, and they have options.”
To view the petition, read more about the River Herring migration and find ways to get involved, scan the QR code below.

Representative Dylan Fernandes, candidate for Massachusetts State Senate, is announcing endorsements by elected officials across the Cape & Islands.
“It’s an honor to have the support from local leaders across the Cape and Islands,” Fernandes said. “As the only candidate to support the Affordable Homes Act, Climate bill, and Roe Act there is a lot at stake in this election for Cape Codders around affordability, preservation, and healthcare access.”
Among the endorsements are Senator Su Moran, the current Plymouth & Barnstable senator, and Senator Julian Cyr, as well as Rep. Sarah Peake, Cape & Islands District Attorney Rob Galibois, and Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley.
Representative Sarah Peake spoke to Fernandes’ collaborative spirit: “Dylan is a collaborator. Over the past eight years I have worked with him and seen firsthand how he collaborates with colleagues in Boston, partners with people of all backgrounds on the Cape and Islands, and delivers real results for our region. From water quality to housing to sea level rise, Dylan is a leading voice on the issues impacting our coastal communities.”
Senator Julian Cyr highlighted Fernandes’ effectiveness: “Dylan has a track record of delivering results for his constituents, and we’ve teamed up on a myriad of challenging issues. Few elected officials are more effective or as grounded in the lived challenges that Cape Codders and South Shore residents face. The people of the Barnstable & Plymouth District would be very well served to be represented by Dylan in the Senate. He has my enthusiastic endorsement.”
Incumbent Plymouth & Barnstable Senator Susan Moran spoke to her confidence in Fernandes’ leadership: “I’m endorsing Dylan because I am confident he will continue the level of commitment to service that the District deserves.”
All Cape & Islands leaders endorsing Fernandes:
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Su Moran, State Senator
Terry Murray, Former President of the State Senate
Julian Cyr, State Senator
Sarah Peake, State Representative
Bob Mascali, Falmouth Select Board Member
Kip Diggs, State Representative
Chris Flanagan, State Representative
Douglas C. Brown, Falmouth Select Board Member
David Weeden, Mashpee Select Board Member
John Cotton, Mashpee Select Board Chair Onjalé Scott Price, Falmouth Select Board Member
Mary Jane Mastrangelo, Bourne Select Board Chair
Melissa Ferretti, Bourne Select Board Vice Chair
Peter Meier, Bourne Select Board Member
Mark Forest, Barnstable County Commissioner
Sheila Lyons, Barnstable County Commission Vice Chair
Ronald Bergstrom, Barnstable County Commission Chair

The Halifax Board of Selectmen began their Tuesday, Sept. 28, meeting by interviewing candidates for the Town Government Study Committee. “This is a committee that the Board of Selectmen is setting up as kind of an advisory committee to consider basically all of our town operations… I don’t think it’s ever been looked at since 1734 frankly,” John Bruno, chairman of the Board of Selectmen said.
Josh Curtis was up first. He said, “We moved here five years ago from Hawaii after I retired from the service. I was Airborne Infantry; served in Iraq and Afghanistan – received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star of Valor. After separating from the military, we purchased a beautiful home in Halifax… and we just fell in love with the town. It has such a great community… and I just want to find a way to help based on my history.” He was asked several questions including how he worked with people who have different viewpoints than himself. “I actually worked with a Three-Star General… and we helped foreign armies actually improve their operations,” Curtis replied.
They also interviewed Kerri Sellers, who said she has been a resident of Halifax for five years. Sellers said she works in Cambridge for a Biotech company. “Over the course of my career, I’m actually the assistant to the CEO, so I’m pretty good at getting a consensus… I think that communication is something that would be an asset on this particular committee – being able to speak competently and also listen,” Sellers said.
The Board voted to appoint all of the candidates. They appointed Joshua Curtis, Mary Gravinese, Sandy Nolan, Kerri Sellers, and Jim Walters to the Town Government Study Committee, all to open terms. “I want to thank all of you folks for all of this,” Bruno said. Selectman Tom Pratt was named as the Chair.
The Selectmen also voted to appoint Walter Petersen as a Special Police Officer. Police Chief Joao Chaves also addressed the Board regarding littering and trespassing offenses in town. He said he hopes by next year to have people in place to make the laws regarding littering and trespassing more enforceable. Bruno said that another option is to ask the Parks Department to post signs asking people to clean up their trash, etc.
CPA presentation
Candice Kniffen appeared before the Board to give a presentation on the Community Preservation Act (CPA). Kniffen said that it was voted that the CPA appear on the ballot. She said that most people are unaware of what the CPA actually is and described it as “an assessment that the townspeople pay but also there’s matching funds that the State provides.” She continued, “but for 24 years we have felt that Halifax has left this money on the table.” She also said that 196 towns have adopted it, but in this area only Halifax, East Bridgewater, Avon, and Brockton have yet to adopt the CPA. She mentioned revitalizing the Blacksmith Shop in town. She said that CPA funding could allow for that as well as adding playground equipment amongst other things.
Kniffen said that the affordable housing portion of the Act was being confused with the MBTA Zoning requirements that the State has set forth. She said that some of the towns that have adopted the CPA have established renting assistance programs as well as repurposing buildings in town. Kniffen said that all nine members of the Committee are longtime residents who raised their children in Halifax and have volunteered in various capacities within the community for years.
Bruno spoke up saying that he believed that voting in favor of the CPA would benefit the town in the long run. Selectman Jonathan Selig said, “One of the battle cries from a lot of folks in Halifax is we want to preserve Halifax; we want to keep Halifax the special place that it is. In my opinion, one of the best tools we can have, is the CPA.” He called it a “no brainer” and said it was set up for exactly what most of the town wants.
Selectman Tom Pratt still had questions, however. He said he was unsure if they could cap the housing bucket yet. “If money was not an object, the CPA is a no brainer… one of the big concerns I’m hearing though… is the housing thing; I think if we could get an answer as to whether you could cap that ten percent bucket and make it mandatory spending, that would be helpful… in other words, if you’re collecting $100,000 a year and $10,000 has to go to the housing bucket, can we cap that at $20-$30 thousand to spend it on veterans, to spend it on rental assistance rather than put aside to buy multiple pieces of property.” He stressed that, in his opinion, the CPA was a no brainer minus the 10 percent housing. Selig said he “kicked the tires with the State” and doesn’t believe that it is possible.
Kniffen said, “The CPA gives us a lot of control in how we choose to do it, so I’m not sure that capping it is a solution.” I think people need to remember this was established to encourage towns to take care of things that they can’t do in their regular budget and to give them a way to do it without… having to go for an override because you’re in an emergency situation.” She said that the estimate for the average homeowner in Halifax were the CPA to pass would be an increase of $88 per year. “I’d rather do that then have my taxes continue to go up,” she said referring to an override. The Selectmen agreed to table the conversation until a later meeting.
Dog woes revisited
In the Aug. 30 edition of the Plympton-Halifax-Kingston Express, reported a story about a dog owned by Tabor McSherry that was cited as a nuisance dog due to run-ins with neighbors and a neighbor’s dog. McSherry appeared before the Board again on Sept. 24. Asked what he planned to do as a result of the meeting in August, McSherry said he has plans to get the dog further training in November. “In the meantime, I’ve taken over muzzle training with the dog.So far that has worked out really well… when we’re off the property, he’s always wearing the muzzle… The backyard is surrounded by a 6 ft. fence,” McSherry said.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Selectmen Chair John Traynor brought up a suggestion for a name change as he has done many times over the last few years. Traynor recommended using Select Board as opposed to Board of Selectmen. Traynor said that of 292 towns, not cities, in Massachusetts over half of them have changed from Board of Selectmen to Select Board. “Everything going forward is labeled Select Board… the towns that abut us, Pembroke, Middleborough, and Carver have all moved to Select Board as a title. Only Halifax, Kingston, and ourselves do not use that name. Plymouth has moved to Select Board as has Duxbury,” Traynor said. He said he isn’t motivated by being politically correct but rather by all the women they have serving in government from the local all the way to the federal level.
Selectman Mark Russo said, “I am dead set against the change… I particularly enjoy being connected to a tradition that goes back to 1707.” Russo said that he felt that the mere fact that there are so many women in leadership positions shows that the title itself doesn’t prohibit it.
Selectman Dana Smith said he felt it should be up to the town. “We were voted in by the town, I think it should be something the town should decide… I would think that there might be some costs associated,” Smith said. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy said that the path of least resistance would be to put it at Town Meeting as a warrant article. Dennehy also said, “the only thing that I would mention in conjunction with what Mr. Smith was saying is that there are certain cost implications. All of our bylaws are codified and we have to pay… for every single bylaw change that we make. Now I don’t know exactly how much that would be, but anywhere in our bylaws that states Board of Selectmen would have to be changed.” Traynor said, “I would be very surprised if there was any cost of any consequence.” Traynor made a motion that they put an article on the annual Town Meeting to change the name. Smith seconded. The motion passed with Smith and Traynor voting in favor of it and Russo voting against it.
Town Accountant Lisa Hart provided an end of year closeout update. Hart said she was looking to have everything submitted to the State by the end of September. She also said that she was hoping they could have free cash certified by the middle of October as well as have the tax rate set before Thanksgiving.
“I’d say I’m probably a week to ten days behind where I would like to have been due to the fact that I was waiting for the schools for some information… Silver Lake… it gets a little confusing because they pay their teachers, all the money that they pay through the summer is actually from their FY24 budget so they have to approve that into FY25 in order to pay them,” Hart said. She added, “they’re working hard over there but they were left with quite a mess over there to clean up… they’re struggling over there. They’re underemployed. They don’t have enough people.”
Traynor said that they had several one-day liquor license requests for Stellwagen Beer Company at Sauchuk Farm. The dates include 9/21, 9/22, 9/28, 9/29, 10/5, 10/6, 10/12, 10/13, 10/14, 10/19, 10/20, 10/26, 10/27, 11/2, and 11/3. The Selectmen noted that there would be a police detail present for each of the dates. The Selectmen voted to approve the requests.
Dennehy said that they have applied for and been awarded a Green Communities grant for work to the heating system at the library in the amount of just over $135,000. “That brings my individual total for grants that I’ve brought in over the last few years to well over $1 million.” She noted that she wouldn’t have been able to do so without the help of Ross MacPherson and the Old Colony Planning Council.
The Selectmen ended the meeting with raves. Russo said, “my raves are for questions that are useful and constructive. Despite personal opinion, preference, philosophy, or ego, despite past grievances, questions like what’s best for the town, most importantly, how do we be fair, how do we keep things moving… again, my rave is for those kinds of questions that are able to surmount obstacles and keep things moving.”
Traynor recalled his rave at the prior meeting for the life and legacy of Plympton resident Jacqueline Freitas who recently passed. He noted that well over 100 people attended her services. He spoke about her passion for various causes and the affection that was shown by the turnout at her services.

KINGSTON – The editors and directors of Tales of Jones River Village: Kingston’s 300 Years are inviting Kingston veterans to be part of a photo that will be taken on Veterans Day in front of the new Memorial in front of the Town Hall at noon.
The book’s directors are looking to highlight the service that veterans have provided over the years and are seeking volunteers to be photographed and be part of this celebration of Kingston’s 300th anniversary in 2026 and will be including a group photograph of the men and women who served the country in the military.
“Tales of Jones River Village: Kingston’s 300 years” will celebrate and commemorate Kingston’s 300th anniversary and will be available for purchase in the fall of 2025, ahead of Kingston’s 300th anniversary in 2026. There has been strong support from the community in the way of articles and photographs.
This new illustrated history will feature short narratives and fresh accounts which will add to established town histories, chronicling the town and its people through different eras. Contributors to the book have come from the community. The publishers anticipate that the book will be approximately 250 pages in length, and approximately 9.5 by 12 inches in size.

In addition to the photograph, there are a few opportunities remaining if anyone has wants to prepare a short article pertaining to their military service, or the service of a loved one.
“Our veterans have given so much to the community and the country,” said Ken Brack, a director and the project’s Managing Editor, who added, “We believe it is fitting that in this book we honor the service and sacrifice that these individuals have made. Please get in touch with us and be part of our town’s history in this upcoming book.”
The publishers anticipate that the book will be approximately 250 pages in length, and approximately 9.5 by 12 inches in size.
The publishers of this book are not affiliated with the town’s 300th committee; this is a separate venture. To learn more about the book, please visit http://www.kingston300book.com). To inquire about being part of the photo, or a related story, please contact Ken Brack, managing editor, [email protected],