Want a sign? Email: sign@betterwaymarblehead.com with your name and address and we'll deliver for you! If you have more than one location, let us know and we will make that happen!

Before you vote on the Marblehead override on Tuesday, June 9, here's what you need to know.

Four questions are on the ballot. One deserves your yes. Three don't. Why?

Questions 1, 2, and 3 ask for $9M, $12M, or $15M, permanently! With 2.5% escalators forever! Voters are being threatened with the loss of the library, senior center, and other important services if these tax increases fail. But there is a better way to fund these important services, without a permanent tax hike of this magnitude.
Our town leaders have not considered important cost saving opportunities, and they have even denied a request from our unions that would better serve our teachers and municipal workers while saving the town money.
Even the new trash contract was signed with little public feedback, requiring the town to spend $1 million on giant new barrels, forcing town residents to dispose of the barrels they already own, and implementing an automated truck system not well suited to Marblehead's historic streets, dead ends, and tight corners.
Question 4 raises $2.3 million for trash-related expenses, but the actual cost increase is only $800,000. The $1.5 million surplus can be repurposed to restore essential town services through a special town meeting.
The schools aren't even benefitting from any of these overrides in the 2026/2027 school year, as confirmed by the School Committee at their recent meeting. Watch it here.

See our voting recommendation Support the campaign →

Marblehead's new trash program: what changed, and what it costs

Your current bin
Banned

→

MANDATORY • TOWN ISSUED

New 96-gallon recycling toter
You will be required to use this unless you get a waiver from the Board of Health because you live in the historic district or your house can't handle automated collection.

Any barrel, even if you already have a 65-gallon toter
Banned

→

MANDATORY • TOWN ISSUED

New 65-gallon trash toter
You will be required to use this unless you get a waiver from the Board of Health because you live in the historic district or your house can't handle automated collection.

Question 4 on the June 9 ballot is being presented as an option for funding the increased costs of trash collection in town. Here's the background and context:

Marblehead has already signed a contract with a new trash hauler. As part of that change, the town is spending $1 million to purchase 16,000 new wheeled toters (8,000 for trash and 8,000 for recycling) for distribution to every household in town. Your existing bins will be banned from collection after June 30, 2026, regardless of their size or condition.

Why? Because the new contract is with a hauler that uses automated collection equipment: trucks with mechanical arms that only work on containers of a specific size.

There are a few issues here. First, the automated technology works well on long, straight roads with easy curb access. It is far less suited to Marblehead's historic neighborhoods, dead-end streets, tight corners, and small properties where getting a full-size toter to the curb is a real challenge.

Second, there is a significant cost, both financially and environmentally, to replacing every single existing bin that Marblehead residents already own. Our town leaders could have opted to stay with a manual collection trash contract. It is true that this would have cost a little more, about $200,000 overall, or $25 per household per year. But it would have saved $1 million in the cost of new barrels. Because of this upfront capital investment, there will be NO actual cost savings until year six of the contract.

In addition, consider what happens to the bins residents already own. Most households have at least two already, one for trash and one for recycling. These existing bins, numbering 20,000 or more town wide, will immediately become useless clutter and likely find their way into the trash stream.

Another issue is that the new toters are large, roughly the size of a small refrigerator on wheels, and residents in smaller homes, condos, or properties with limited outdoor storage may have trouble finding space for two of them.

If you live in the historic district or your property can't handle automated collection, you can apply for a waiver from the Board of Health. However, this process is not automatic.

Decisions of this cost and scale, ones that affect every household in town, deserved more public discussion than they got. And the most important part of this whole conversation has been completely hidden from public view. The cost of trash collection is going up by $800,000. But Question 4, which is being presented solely as a trash override bill, will increase revenue by $2.3 million. That is a gap of $1.5 million. Why are we raising taxes by $2.3 million to cover an $800,000 increase?

Why are we raising taxes by $2.3 million to cover an $800,000 increase?

There is some important history here. In 2003, Marblehead voters approved a permanent override specifically to fund trash removal, and we have been paying these increased rates ever since. This year, that money was repurposed to cover other town expenses, and the amount for Question 4 is to fund the entire trash collection budget, not just the difference between what we were paying and the cost of the new contract. That $1.5 million gap is the central question of this year's override vote, and it deserves a clear explanation from our town's leadership.

There are many reasons to be concerned about the environmental and financial costs of the new trash contract. However, a yes or no vote on Question 4 won't actually make any difference in how the program is implemented. If Question 4 fails, our town leadership will instead implement a trash collection fee equal to the price of Question 4 on every household. If it is a fee instead of a tax, you'll lose the deductibility against your federal tax bill. So Question 4 effectively passes either way, whether you vote for it or not.

Question 4 effectively passes either way, as a tax or as a fee. What we can do is insist that the extra $1.5 million be used to fund what is most important to Marbleheaders.

What we can do is insist that the extra $1.5 million included in Question 4 be used to fund what is most important to Marbleheaders.

Our recommendation →

Our Recommendation: Yes on 4, No on 1, 2, and 3

Vote Yes

Question 4

Funds the increased cost of the trash contract plus $1.5 million extra to fund the most important services that have been put at risk in recent proposed budgets.

Vote No

Questions 1, 2 & 3

$9M, $12M, or $15M, escalating at 2.5% forever. Won't fund the schools in 2026/2027, doesn't account for cost saving opportunities, and fails the tests of transparency and good government.

Marblehead's override vote this year consists of four separate ballot questions, on top of the automatic annual levy increase Massachusetts towns collect under Proposition 2½. It's worth understanding each one.

Questions 1, 2, and 3 are for general municipal expenses, with Question 3 representing the highest-level increase at $15 million. The full picture of what's driving these cost increases hasn't been laid out clearly for voters, and there are cost-saving options that haven't even begun to be explored. Notably, this includes proposals from our town's own unions on healthcare costs that have so far been ignored or denied by town leadership. And a simple review of staffing levels, operational priorities, and fiscal decision making raises many more questions than it answers.

Question 4 raises $2.3 million. This is being presented as necessary to cover the cost of the new trash contract, but the actual cost increase is just $800,000. While there are many justifiable concerns about how the new trash contract is being implemented (see here), the increased cost of trash pickup needs to be covered. But the remaining $1.5 million included in Question 4 can be used for funding other town priorities, and voters will be provided the opportunity to express their preferences at a special town meeting to be held after the override vote. A special town meeting only requires 200 signatures of registered voters and can be held at any time to facilitate better town management going forward.

Here's the full three-year cost picture for the average Marblehead single-family homeowner if the highest level of the override (Question 3) passes. All figures are derived from the official FY2026 state-certified LA-4 valuation report, for a home at the town average assessed value. The Q3 column shows the cost for Question 3 alone, and the Q4 column does the same for Question 4. The Baseline 2½ column provides the cost of the automatic 2.5% levy growth that occurs every year regardless of voter approval.

Q3 Override Q4 Override or $300 trash fee Override Total Baseline 2½ Grand Total Increase Over Existing Tax Levy

Year 1 (FY2027) $1,960 $300 $2,260 $277 $2,537

Year 2 (FY2028) $2,009 $308 $2,317 $283 $2,600

Year 3 (FY2029) $2,059 $316 $2,375 $290 $2,665

3-Year Total $6,028 $924 $6,952 $850 $7,802

These overrides are permanent additions to the levy. They do not expire, and the tax rate continues to grow every year by 2.5% from the new baseline.

If you are planning to vote yes on Questions 1, 2, or 3 because you believe it helps the schools, it won't, at least not this year. As the School Committee has confirmed, not a single penny from any of the four override questions will be spent on the schools during the 2026/2027 school year. Watch it for yourself. The School Committee's discussion of this starts at the 29-minute mark of their recent meeting. Watch the School Committee meeting on YouTube →

Not one penny from any override question, including Questions 1, 2, and 3, goes to the schools in 2026/2027. The School Committee said so on the record.

Some Select Board members have stated they don't intend to spend the full amount raised by Questions 1, 2, and 3. We appreciate that commitment, but one of the Select Board members is leaving the board in June, and three face reelection in the next 13 months. We could easily have four new Select Board members in just a bit over a year and those four new members will not be bound to commitments made by their predecessors. And sadly, Marblehead has a history of spending every penny it can, often without voter approval. Voter approval sets the ceiling on what the town can charge in taxes, and once that ceiling is raised permanently, it stays raised forever. Voting no on 1, 2, and 3 sends a message that we want our town to operate more openly and efficiently, and only then will we consider trusting our leaders with more of our tax dollars.

The proponents of Questions 1, 2, and 3 are trying to scare voters into voting yes by putting the most important town services at risk, rather than doing the hard work necessary to manage our town more efficiently. This is not the right way to earn voters' trust. Most importantly, we can protect the most essential town services with the extra revenue available in Question 4.

There is a better way →

There is a better way.

This site is called Better Way Marblehead for a reason. We're not just here to raise questions or complain. We believe there's a straightforward, fiscally responsible path forward. That includes voting NO on Questions 1, 2, and 3 but YES on Question 4. This doesn't mean we approve the way the new trash program is being implemented. We don't, but they are going to charge us this amount anyway, whether it shows up in our taxes or through a new annual fee. There are legitimate questions about this, and our leadership should be forced to answer them. But the $2.3 million raised through Question 4 will fund the additional expense of the new trash contract ($800,000) and provide $1.5 million in additional revenue to fund what Marbleheaders value most.

Here's the key: a special town meeting can be scheduled to take place after the override vote, and that town meeting is the direct mechanism for deciding where that extra money goes. Residents will have the opportunity to vote to restore specific programs, accountably, in public, with a clear record of how every dollar is directed.

The proposed town budget reduces or eliminates the programs shown below. Proponents of Questions 1, 2, and 3 have used these cuts to scare voters into supporting significant tax increases. But voters should weigh whether these proposed reductions were made with the override in mind, to build pressure for a larger tax increase than the town actually needs. Either way, voting yes on Question 4 and directing its surplus through a special town meeting is the path that gives residents the most control, and insists that our town leadership manage more openly and efficiently than they have in the past.

Here's what that $1.5 million could restore:

📚

Restore the Library

Bring back the hours, staff, and services that residents depend on.

🏛️

Restore the Senior Center

Our seniors deserve the services and programming they've counted on for years.

🌳

Restore Rec and Park Programs and Grounds Management

Bring back the recreational programming, park services, and grounds maintenance that residents and families depend on.

🏢

Rehire the Abbott Hall Custodian

Abbott Hall is one of Marblehead's most iconic buildings. It deserves to be properly cared for.

None of this requires Questions 1, 2, or 3. It simply requires a yes vote on Question 4 and showing up to a special town meeting to make sure that the people who represent you know exactly how you want your tax dollars spent.

Support the campaign →

Talk to your neighbors. Ask questions. Show up.

The best thing you can do right now is share this with someone who doesn't know about it yet. These decisions get made quietly when residents aren't paying attention. We're trying to make sure they pay attention.

If you have information, questions, or want to get involved, reach out.

info@betterwaymarblehead.com

Support the Campaign

If you believe Marblehead deserves more transparency, more accountability, and a smarter approach to managing our town's finances, consider making a contribution. Every dollar helps us reach more voters before June 9.

Scan to donate via Venmo

Campaign Contribution Disclosure

$50.00 or less — Your name will be kept confidential in all campaign filings.
$50.01 – $200.00 — We are required to report your name and address in campaign filings. Please include your name and address.
$200.01 or more — We are required to report your name, address, and employer. Please include your name, address, and employer name. These are MA OCPF laws that require us to ask.

If multiple family members or friends each wish to contribute $50.00 or less individually, all names will remain confidential in our filings, provided each person contributes separately.

Prefer to write a check? Make it out to "There's A Better Way" and drop it off or mail it to:

39 Bayview Rd
Marblehead, MA 01945