Halifax Select Board Unanimously Backs $1.5 Million Override Budget for May Town Meeting

HALIFAX — April 8, 2026 — Halifax Select Board endorses $1.5 million override budget and five governance reforms for May 11 town meeting. Meeting Wednesday, the three-member board voted unanimously to recommend Article 3B, the full override-level fiscal year 2027 operating budget, aligning with the Finance Committee's 7-0 vote the night before; if passed by voters, the override would restore positions cut under the leaner baseline budget, including a full-time accounting role. The board also unanimously backed Articles 6 through 10, a government study committee package converting the town clerk, treasurer-collector, highway superintendent, and water commissioners from elected to appointed positions and renaming the Board of Selectmen the Select Board. Chair Jonathan Seelig said of the governance changes, "I could not recommend these anymore than I am ready to recommend." The board deferred formal recommendations on three articles — the capital plan, a PFAS settlement stabilization fund, and a citizens' petition targeting soil businesses — pending an independent landfill site review by consultant Tanya Bond and review of a legal opinion from town counsel. The HERO Act veterans' exemption article, estimated to carry an annual obligation of up to $65,000, also received unanimous board support.