Hamilton Select Board Opens Town Meeting Warrant, Eyes Climate Leader Status

Select Board · Meeting of January 5, 2026

Hamilton Select Board opens April town meeting warrant amid a looming school budget crunch and Climate Leader debate. The board voted unanimously January 5 to open the warrant for the April 11, 2026 annual town meeting, with a closing deadline of approximately February 16. Town Manager Joe Domowitz Jr. announced a new three-year contract at $210,000 annually, frozen through July 1, 2027.

The FY27 budget outlook projects a revenue ceiling of $43,605,469 under the full Proposition 2½ levy, but the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District's current assessment request would consume an estimated 64.5 percent of that revenue — well above the historical 59 percent share — leaving a gap of roughly $2.7 million. Finance Committee member John McGrath told the board flatly, "after seven years of no overrides, unfortunately, 2027, there will be an override," and projected a separate $4 million debt-exclusion vote for a new high school roof. The board also heard a presentation from state Green Communities Division coordinator Dylan Patel on Climate Leader certification, which could yield up to $1 million in capital grants, but took no vote — pending completion of the town's municipal decarbonization roadmap.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of January 5, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.