Select board approves ballot language for $10.3M high‑school roof, noting MSBA reimbursement

The select board approved statutory ballot language authorizing a debt exclusion for a $10.3 million roof‑system replacement at the Hamilton‑Wenham Regional High School and also agreed language for an operating override question the town will present to voters.

Town legal counsel and finance staff explained that the MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) has approved reimbursement of roughly 45% for the project and that the ballot question for a debt exclusion is required by statute and therefore does not display a dollar amount on the ballot. Legal counsel confirmed the two‑step process: town meeting must first authorize a specific debt amount; the ballot then decides whether to exclude that debt from the Proposition 2½ levy limit.

Board members asked the superintendent and the school committee to prepare clearer tax‑impact breakdowns for both town meeting and the mailed materials. One member noted the district's MSBA approval and urged the superintendent to present the district’s allocable share and timing in the public materials. The board took a roll‑call vote and approved the statutory debt‑exclusion language and the operating override language for the April town election; votes were recorded by roll call.

The board asked staff to include a town‑by‑town tax‑impact table and for the finance committee and school administration to brief voters in advance of the ballot and town meeting.