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Halifax Board of Selectmen
How the Halifax Board of Selectmen voted, from the Board of Selectmen’s official minutes. 3 Select Board members elected townwide. Thomas Pratt joined the board after the May 18, 2024 town election, replacing Naja R. Nessralla. On June 4, 2024 the board chose John Bruno as Chair, Jonathan Selig as Vice Chair and Thomas Pratt as Clerk. Most minutes from January to October 2024 are scans, which we read by computer text recognition. Covers 29 meetings, June 4 to May 12, 2025.
A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.
What does the Board of Selectmen do? It is the town’s executive board. It prepares the Town Meeting warrant (the list of articles voters decide), appoints members of many town boards, hires the town’s top staff, signs warrants to pay town bills, and grants licenses and permits.
Town Meeting, not the Board of Selectmen, votes the town budget and town bylaws.
Sources: Massachusetts Select Board Handbook (MMA) · Mass. Division of Local Services: the town budgetBoard years
Coming up
- Tue, Oct 13Board of Selectmen Meeting Agenda (PDF) →
From the agendas Halifax posts on its official site. Agendas can change; the posted agenda is the official one.
What Town Meeting decided
In Halifax, Town Meeting — not the Board of Selectmen — votes the town budget, bylaws and zoning. Here is what it did with each article, in the Town Clerk’s own words. Any registered voter can take part, and most votes are by voice or show of hands, so there is no list of who voted which way.
Annual Town Meeting · May 12, 2025 31 votes: 17 passed, 1 passed as amended, 4 failed, 9 no action
- Art. 7 Street acceptance (one of five street-acceptance Articles 7-11; paperwork not completed) No action “Articles 7-11 PASSED.”
- Art. 8 Street acceptance (one of five street-acceptance Articles 7-11; paperwork not completed) No action “Articles 7-11 PASSED.”
- Art. 9 Street acceptance (one of five street-acceptance Articles 7-11; paperwork not completed) No action “Articles 7-11 PASSED.”
- Art. 10 Street acceptance (one of five street-acceptance Articles 7-11; paperwork not completed) No action “Articles 7-11 PASSED.”
- Art. 11 Street acceptance (one of five street-acceptance Articles 7-11; paperwork not completed) No action “Articles 7-11 PASSED.”
- Art. 1 · motion 1 Wage and Personnel Bylaw: 2% cost-of-living adjustment for non-union positions (about $21,000) Passed “The motion PASSED unanimously.”
- Art. 1 · motion 2 Wage and Personnel Bylaw: move the Veterans Services Officer from a stipend to a Grade 6 position Passed “The motion PASSED unanimously.”
- Art. 1 · motion 3 Replace the Wage and Personnel Bylaw, making the Board of Selectmen the personnel board Passed “The motion PASSED unanimously.”
- Art. 2 Set FY2026 salaries of elected town officers Passed “The motion PASSED unanimously.”
- Art. 3 FY2026 operating budget of $31,051,728, with an amendment to the PEG access funding line Passed as amended “Amendment PASSED”
- Art. 21 Adopt a proclamation opposing the state's MBTA Communities zoning requirement Passed “The motion PASSED.”
- Art. 24 Citizen petition: thorough audit of all town departments, committees, assets and liabilities No action “The motion to pass over Article 24 PASSED.”
- Art. 25 Citizen petition: study of the fiscal impact of the MBTA Communities zoning law on Halifax Failed “The motion FAILED.”
- Art. 6 Set FY2026 spending limits for the town's revolving funds Passed “The motion PASSED.”
- Art. 22 Citizen petition: sell two Vernon Street lots to an abutter for at least $500 plus legal fees No action “The motion to pass over Article 22 - PASSED.”
- Art. 27 Citizen petition: withdraw Halifax from the regional health board No action “The motion to pass over Article 27 - PASSED.”
- Art. 17 $3,500 for the South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center (domestic violence services) Passed “The motion PASSED.”
- Art. 26 Citizen petition: halt new housing building permits and new water services until voters lift it Failed “The motion FAILED.”
- Art. 14 Amend Town Meeting bylaws: allow meetings outside Halifax for capacity, non-resident department heads may speak, new rules guide Passed “The motion PASSED.”
- Art. 23 Citizen petition: allow body art (tattoo) establishments by right in the business zoning district Passed “The motion PASSED.”
- Art. 18 $150 for the County Cooperative Extension Service (4-H program) Passed “The motion PASSED.”
- Art. 28 Citizen petition: rescind Halifax's adoption of the Stretch Energy Code Failed “The motion FAILED.”
- Art. 13 FY2026 capital plan: $689,000 from free cash and $500,000 from water retained earnings Passed “The motion PASSED.”
- Art. 20 Replace the town's zoning bylaw (Chapter 167) with a revised version No action “The motion to pass over Article 20 PASSED.”
- Art. 5 $100,000 to the Reserve Fund and $50,000 to the Water Department Reserve Fund Passed “The motion PASSED.”
- Art. 16 Pay a $4,286.92 prior-year school transportation bill Passed “The motion PASSED with the required 4/5 majority.”
- Art. 19 Create a litter control bylaw with a $300 fine per violation Passed “The motion PASSED.”
- Art. 15 $3,500 for South Coastal Counties Legal Services Passed “The motion PASSED unanimously.”
- Art. 4 Add three revolving funds: school busing, full-day kindergarten and park maintenance Passed “The motion PASSED unanimously.”
- Art. 12 Move $32,901.14 from free cash to an opioid settlement special revenue fund; rescind two 2023 articles Passed “PASSED.”
- Art. 29 Citizen petition: zoning changes only at Annual Town Meeting, with a 2/3 vote and a ballot referendum Failed “The motion FAILED.”
Special Town Meeting · December 16, 2024 2 votes: 1 passed as amended, 1 failed
- Art. 2 Citizen petition: require a resident permit for personal watercraft (jet skis) on East and West Monponsett Pond, with limits Passed as amended “Article PASSES by Simple”
- Art. 1 Adopt an MBTA Communities multi-family overlay zoning district (about 194 acres) Failed “MOTION FAILED”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes of the December 16, 2024 Special Town Meeting.
Special Town Meeting · May 13, 2024 1 votes: 1 no action
- Art. 1 School Committee placeholder article for a possible FY2024 school budget shortfall (not needed) No action “PASSOVER PASSES”
Annual Town Meeting · May 13, 2024 19 votes: 14 passed, 1 passed as amended, 1 failed, 2 no action, 1 other
- Art. 1 Accept the reports of town officers and committees Passed “ARTICLE PASSES”
- Art. 2 Amend the Wage and Personnel Bylaw (extra personal day, bereavement leave, 2% COLA for FY2025, wage adjustments) Failed “ARTICLE FAILS · 88-YES and 118-NO”
- Art. 3 Set FY2025 elected officers' salaries; amendment set Town Clerk, Treasurer-Collector and Highway Surveyor at 2% increases Other “AMENDMENT PASSES”
- Art. 4 FY2025 operating budget, voted line by line; three elected officers' salary lines reduced by amendment Passed as amended “Moved and Seconded Passes”
- Art. 9 Adopt the Community Preservation Act with a 1.5% property tax surcharge starting FY2026 (also needed ballot approval) Passed “ARTICLE PASSES”
- Art. 8 · motion 1 FY2025 capital plan, Fire: $174,400 for turnout gear and mold remediation from free cash Passed “ARTICLE PASSES”
- Art. 8 · motion 2 FY2025 capital plan, Police: $120,000 for two police vehicles from free cash Passed “ARTICLE PASSES”
- Art. 8 · motion 3 FY2025 capital plan, Highway: $300,000 for road maintenance from free cash Passed “ARTICLE PASSES”
- Art. 8 · motion 4 FY2025 capital plan, Water: $525,000 for treatment plant upgrades and a mini excavator from water retained earnings Passed “ARTICLE PASSES”
- Art. 5 Set FY2025 spending limits for the town's revolving funds Passed “ARTICLE PASSES”
- Art. 6 $75,000 to the Reserve Fund and $50,000 from water retained earnings to the Water Department Reserve Fund Passed “ARTICLE PASSES”
- Art. 13 Set a $15 fee for each written demand issued by the tax collector Passed “ARTICLE PASSES”
- Art. 10 $3,500 for South Coastal Counties Legal Services Passed “ARTICLE PASSES”
- Art. 14 $39,140 from free cash for a part-time School Resource Officer at Silver Lake Middle School Passed “ARTICLE PASSES · 52 – Yes and 30 – No”
- Art. 11 $3,500 for the South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center (domestic violence services) Passed “ARTICLE PASSES”
- Art. 15 $25,000 from the Stabilization Fund for a rooftop HVAC unit at Silver Lake Regional High School No action “PASSOVER PASSES”
- Art. 7 Approve a solar payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement with River Street Associates, LLC No action “PASSOVER PASSES”
- Art. 12 $150 for the County Cooperative Extension Service (4-H program) Passed “ARTICLE PASSES”
- Art. 16 $75,000 from free cash to the Unemployment Special Revenue Fund Passed “ARTICLE PASSES”
Not here yet: the May 11, 2026 Annual Town Meeting and the July 29, 2026 Special Town Meeting (only the warrants are posted; results will be in the 2026 Annual Town Report or the Clerk's minutes).
Titles are short descriptions of each article from the official record; the quoted words are the Town Clerk’s. A vote at Town Meeting is not the final word on everything: some articles also need a ballot vote (such as a tax override) or the Attorney General’s approval (bylaws).
Members
Vice-ChairJonathan SeligVice Chair · Elected townwide · at 29 of 29 meetings
Thomas PrattClerk · Elected townwide · at 29 of 29 meetings"At X of Y meetings" counts the members the minutes list as present at the start of each meeting in this record. Members who step out are listed on each meeting page.
Meetings
About missing minutes
Loaded: every Board of Selectmen meeting with minutes on the town website from January 2018 through August 11, 2026 (2018 to 2024 from the town's Document Center, December 2024 on from its Agenda Center). Not here: minutes before 2018, executive-session minutes, and minutes the town has not posted yet (every meeting after August 11, 2026). Halifax's minutes are typed and usually give the mover, the seconder and the result in one sentence ("the Board unanimously voted to..."); many votes, especially from 2020 to 2022, are roll calls by name. Most minutes from January to October 2024 are scans, which we read by computer text recognition. When the minutes say a vote was unanimous we show every member present as voting yes; when they give a roll call, or a count with the members who voted no named, we show each member's vote as recorded. When the minutes only say the Board "voted" or "approved" something, with no count, no names and no mention of a unanimous vote, we show the result only and never assume it was unanimous. Where the minutes give only a count (for example 2-1) without names, or a roll call names a member the minutes do not list as present, or the names and the count do not match, we show the count only and add a note. Members who had not yet arrived, had left, or stepped aside (recused) are left out of that vote. From August 30 to October 25, 2022 Jonathan Selig was the only member in office; those actions are shown as results only. A few dog-hearing votes come from word-for-word transcripts in the minutes. Votes by other boards at joint meetings (Planning Board, Finance Committee, School Committee, Board of Health, Library Trustees) are not included; where the board voted together with another board, only the Select Board members' votes are shown. Finance Committee and Wage & Personnel Board appointments made by the Chair together with the Finance Committee and the Town Moderator are not included. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.
Votes where members disagreed
Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
Apr 29Approve the $1.3 Million BAN for Water Treatment ProjectMotion: To approve the $1.3 Million BAN for Water Treatment Project.Passed 2–0 · Abstained: Selig
April 29, 2025: Approve the $1.3 Million BAN for Water Treatment Project
To approve the $1.3 Million BAN for Water Treatment Project.
Yes: Bruno, PrattAbstained: Selig
From the minutes
“Moved by Bruno and seconded by Pratt, the Board voted as follows to approve the $1.3 Million BAN for Water Treatment Project. John Bruno - Yes Jonathan Selig - Abstained Thomas Pratt - Yes.” (Motion: Bruno, second: Pratt)
Apr 8Take Article 1 out of the WarrantMotion: To take Article 1 out of the Warrant.Passed 2–1 · No: Pratt
April 8, 2025: Take Article 1 out of the Warrant
To take Article 1 out of the Warrant.
Yes: Bruno, SeligNo: Pratt
From the minutes
“Moved by Bruno and seconded by Selig, the Board voted as follows to take Article 1 out of the Warrant. John Bruno - Yes Jonathan Selig - Yes Thomas Pratt - Opposed.” (Motion: Bruno, second: Selig)
Feb 11Take no action and stay incompliant with the MBTA…Motion: To take no action and stay incompliant with the MBTA Zoning…Passed 2–1 · No: Selig
February 11, 2025: Take no action and stay incompliant with the MBTA Zoning mandate
To take no action and stay incompliant with the MBTA Zoning mandate.
Yes: Bruno, PrattNo: Selig
From the minutes
“Moved by Pratt and seconded by Bruno, the Board voted as follows to take no action and stay incompliant with the MBTA Zoning mandate. John Bruno - Yes Jonathan Selig - No Thomas Pratt - Yes.” (Motion: Pratt, second: Bruno)
Nov 19Approve payment of the following warrantsMotion: To approve payment of the following warrants: Payroll Warrant #44 For…Passed · see note
November 19, 2024: Approve payment of the following warrants
To approve payment of the following warrants: Payroll Warrant #44 For $ 467,331.56 Vendor Warrant #45 For $ 469,471.97 Withholding Warrant #46 For $ 163,449.50
The minutes record this action but do not say it was unanimous, give a count, or name how members voted.
From the minutes
“Moved by Pratt and seconded by Selig, the Board voted to approve payment of the following warrants: Payroll Warrant #44 For $ 467,331.56 Vendor Warrant #45 For $ 469,471.97 Withholding Warrant #46 For $ 163,449.50.” (Motion: Pratt, second: Selig)
Aug 13Tabor McSherry dog hearing: declare the dog a nuisance…Motion: To would move that we declare the dog a nuisance dog…Passed 2–1 · No: Pratt
August 13, 2024: Tabor McSherry dog hearing: declare the dog a nuisance dog and ask the Animal Control Officer for recommended remedies
To would move that we declare the dog a nuisance dog and then as far as remedies I would follow council's advice and assuming the Board votes this way ask for recommendations from our Animal Inspector Animal Control Officer. Selig I will second it. Bruno Any discussion? All those in favor say aye.
Yes: Bruno, SeligNo: PrattFrom the word-for-word transcript in the minutes. When the Chair asked for those opposed, Thomas Pratt answered "Aye"; the Chair said the motion "passes by majority."
From the minutes
“would move that we declare the dog a nuisance dog and then as far as remedies I would follow council's advice and assuming the Board votes this way ask for recommendations from our Animal Inspector Animal Control Officer. Selig I will second it. Bruno Any discussion? All those in favor say aye. Selig Aye Bruno Aye Bruno Opposed Pratt Aye Bruno So, it passes by majority.” (Motion: Bruno, second: Selig)
Aug 13Tabor McSherry dog hearing: order remedies (triple restraint off…Motion: To so, my motion would be that uh the remedies for…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note
August 13, 2024: Tabor McSherry dog hearing: order remedies (triple restraint off the property, 6-foot fence, written training and walking plan by August 27, muzzle off the property, review in 6 months)
To so, my motion would be that uh the remedies for the finding that the dog's nuisance first would be that anytime the dog is off the property it has to be triple restrained as explained by Miss. Chasse as is already being done. Secondly that the dog that the yard if the dog is let out of the house has to be enclosed entirely by a secure that's important a 6 foot fence at a minimum. Third that in within the next week two weeks by our next meeting our next what's our next meeting the 27® all right so by our next meeting which is August 27" we'll ask for a written plan that will address training of this animal to prevent any further issues and also to address how the dog walking situation will be handled. Obviously, Miss. Chasse is doing it now and we want to know we want to make sure that that there if she's ill she's unable to do it or somebody else takes over that that you have a plan in place for that and we'll make that as part of our order and then the third the last thing is I'll recommend make a motion that we also have the dog muzzled anytime it's off the property to be reviewed in 6 months. - Selig 7 I'll second that. Bruno Okay any further discussion. All those in favor say aye.
From the word-for-word transcript in the minutes: Selig and Pratt said "Aye"; when the Chair asked for those opposed, no one answered and he said "that's unanimous."
From the minutes
“so, my motion would be that uh the remedies for the finding that the dog's nuisance first would be that anytime the dog is off the property it has to be triple restrained as explained by Miss. Chasse as is already being done. Secondly that the dog that the yard if the dog is let out of the house has to be enclosed entirely by a secure that's important a 6 foot fence at a minimum. Third that in within the next week two weeks by our next meeting our next what's our next meeting the 27® all right so by our next meeting which is August 27" we'll ask for a written plan that will address training of this animal to prevent any further issues and also to address how the dog walking situation will be handled. Obviously, Miss. Chasse is doing it now and we want to know we want to make sure that that there if she's ill she's unable to do it or somebody else takes over that that you have a plan in place for that and we'll make that as part of our order and then the third the last thing is I'll recommend make a motion that we also have the dog muzzled anytime it's off the property to be reviewed in 6 months. - Selig 7 I'll second that. Bruno Okay any further discussion. All those in favor say aye. Selig Aye. Pratt Aye. Bruno Opposed. Okay that's unanimous.” (Motion: Bruno, second: Selig)
Jun 25Reappoint Peter Parcellin to the Zoning Board of AppealsMotion: To reappoint Peter Parcellin to the Zoning Board of Appeals:Passed 2–1 · No: Pratt
June 25, 2024: Reappoint Peter Parcellin to the Zoning Board of Appeals
To reappoint Peter Parcellin to the Zoning Board of Appeals:
Yes: Bruno, SeligNo: Pratt
From the minutes
“Moved by Bruno and seconded by Selig, the Board voted as follows to reappoint Peter Parcellin to the Zoning Board of Appeals: John Bruno - Yes Jonathan Selig - Yes Thomas Pratt - Opposed MEETING ADJOURNED.” (Motion: Bruno, second: Selig)
From the Halifax Board of Selectmen’s official minutes, posted in the town’s Agenda Center and Document Center. We check every vote against the members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos: Jonathan Selig from the Plympton-Halifax-Kingston Express (December 2017); Thomas Pratt and William Smith from Area 58 video of the June 23, 2026 Select Board meeting (identified by the nameplate in front of each member).
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