Marshfield Town Meeting Approves $7 Million Override, Triggering Mandatory Ballot Vote

MARSHFIELD -- June 15, 2026, Marshfield Town Meeting approves $7 million override option, sending question to a town ballot that must be scheduled by the Select Board. More than 1,500 residents packed the high school gymnasium June 15 as Town Meeting voted to adopt a $121.4 million baseline FY2027 operating budget and then approved, by an overwhelming show of hands, a contingent $7 million Proposition 2 1/2 supplement known as Article 3C. Acting Town Administrator Peter Moran, in what he called likely his final town meeting address after 14 months on the job, outlined the cost pressures driving the crisis: pension assessments up $696,000 and health insurance up $1,055,000, against levy limit growth of only 3.3 percent. Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan warned that the bare-bones baseline would require roughly 60-plus employee layoffs in the schools alone, cutting high school teachers across eight subject areas, assistant principals, late buses, and sub-varsity athletics. The Advisory Board unanimously recommended the smaller $4 million override but stopped short of opposing 3C. Select Board Chair pledged a "No More Overrides" MOU and a comprehensive performance audit if 3C passed. If approved at a subsequent ballot, the override would raise the average tax bill on an $805,000 home by $875 annually, $620 from the override plus $255 from the baseline levy increase. Select Board member Eric Kelly declined to commit to voting to schedule the required ballot election, saying only he would "stand by my position as I have always taken."