Marshfield Advisory Board Backs Four-Million Override, Adds Funds to Six Departments

MARSHFIELD — June 9, 2026 — Marshfield Advisory Board assembles $3.4 million wish list ahead of override town meeting. The board unanimously approved a series of budget restorations Monday, adding $25,000 for harbormaster salaries, $25,000 for animal control, $24,235.97 for a shared DPW engineering position, $30,000 for elections, $36,693 to maintain assessors' consulting contract, and $16,189 for the town clerk's long-deferred software update. On the school budget — the most contested item — the board voted four to one to limit cuts to the tier-one level only, adding approximately $2.465 million to the no-override alpha budget after a competing proposal to restore $3.286 million failed two to four. Interim Town Administrator Peter Lorm warned that past reliance on free cash for recurring costs "created a structural deficit" and said residents should expect a fiscal reset under any of the three override options on the June warrant — no override, four million dollars, or seven million dollars. The board's wish-list total reached $3.4 million, with capital budget and remaining warrant articles deferred to a June 11 session with the Select Board.