Wenham Select Board Sets April 9 Annual Town Meeting at Gordon College

WENHAM -- February 24, 2026, Wenham Select Board sets April 9 Annual Town Meeting at Gordon College, with $450,000 school override on the warrant. The board voted 4-0 Tuesday to hold the meeting at 6 p.m. at the Bennett Center, departing from the town's traditional Saturday-at-Bucher format after last year's capacity failure forced a backup date. In a joint session with the Finance Committee, Town Administrator Steve reported the municipal budget comes in $4,101 under the Proposition 2 1/2 levy limit after a 2 percent across-the-board expense reduction and a lower-than-expected health insurance increase of 13.76 percent, saving roughly $40,000. The Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District's override request stands at just under $450,000 following four rounds of reductions. Vice Chair Gary Cheeseman rejected the idea of using the town's $1.769 million in certified free cash to cover the school gap, saying "to artificially get below an override by using free cash that we don't know the exact nature of next year would be risky." A $690,000 collection of long-delinquent property taxes from 97-115 Larch Row is confirmed received and will substantially increase free cash after fiscal year close.