Manchester Select Board Updates Tree Policy, Eyes Up to Seven Tax Override Questions in 2026

Select Board · Meeting of January 5, 2026

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA -- Manchester Select Board votes unanimously to rewrite its public shade tree definition and braces for a bruising budget season. The board approved 5-0 a change to Section E of the town's Tree Policy, replacing a location-specific assumption about the public right-of-way with a direct reference to Massachusetts General Law Chapter 87, Section 1, a fix Vice Chair Catherine Bilotta called a "just-go-do." An ad hoc working group including DPW, Friends of Manchester Trees, the tree warden, and a resident will draft a broader policy rewrite by May 1, 2026. On the budget, Town Administrator Tony told the board the town faces roughly an $800,000 gap in the school budget alone, with as many as seven debt-exclusion, capital-exclusion, or override questions potentially heading to the April 27 Annual Town Meeting, including a $5 million borrowing authorization for the Central Street culvert and rotunda repairs after a grant application was denied.

Chair John Round called for a chart showing cumulative tax-bill growth, warning, "I don't know anybody that's getting a 5 percent raise, let alone a 10 percent raise."

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