Manchester Select Board Opens Town Meeting Warrant, Advances Four Zoning Articles

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA, February 17, 2026, Manchester-by-the-Sea Select Board opens town meeting warrant and advances four zoning articles. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to open the annual warrant and refer four Planning Board zoning articles, covering downtown mixed-use development, senior housing, inns, and ADU bylaw updates, to a required Planning Board public hearing set for March 9. Town Administrator Tony Marques reported the FY27 operating budget is currently balanced with a $26,465 surplus, though a final cost from curbside refuse contractor Republic Services remains outstanding; health insurance is now projected to rise roughly 15 percent rather than the originally budgeted 20 percent. Five capital projects totaling roughly $30 million in proposed borrowing, including a $16.5 million PFAS wastewater facility and a $5 million Central Street culvert, are headed to town meeting, with the Community Preservation Committee agreeing to contribute up to $350,000 toward Rotunda restoration rather than taking on long-term CPC debt. The board also voted 5-0 to allow the high school indoor track team to use the Rose Hill Cemetery extension loop for interval workouts during the 2026-2027 season, citing a hardship exception in the cemetery's rules, and approved a two-day mobile sauna pilot at White Beach for March 21-22.