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Marion Select Board
How the Marion Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 3 Select Board members elected townwide. Randy L. Parker was re-elected in May 2024. On May 21, 2024 the board chose Norman A. Hills as Chair, Carleton Burr Jr. as Vice Chair and Randy L. Parker as Clerk. Covers 31 meetings, May 21 to May 6, 2025.
A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.
What does the Select Board 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 Select Board, votes the town budget and town bylaws.
Sources: Massachusetts Select Board Handbook (MMA) · Mass. Division of Local Services: the town budgetBoard years
Coming up
- Thu, Oct 22Joint Meeting: Select Board, Planning Board & Zoning Board of Appeals - October 22, 2026 (PDF) →
From the agendas Marion posts on its official site. Agendas can change; the posted agenda is the official one.
What Town Meeting decided
In Marion, Town Meeting — not the Select Board — 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.
Special Town Meeting · November 24, 2025 2 votes: 1 passed, 1 other
- S1 Add a Stormwater Management Bylaw (Article XIII) to Chapter 230 (Zoning) of the Code of Marion Passed “Motion declared carried at 6:58pm”
- S2 Direct the Water Department to set a policy allowing residential secondary meters for outdoor water use Other “Motion declared carried by 2/3 majority to postpone the question until the Annual Town Meeting until May of 2026”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes in the 2025 Marion Annual Town Report (scanned pages).
Annual Town Meeting · May 12, 2025 51 votes: 47 passed, 1 passed as amended, 1 failed, 1 indefinitely postponed, 1 tabled
Sessions: May 12 and 13, 2025 (election May 16, 2025)
- Art. 1 Approve compensation schedule for elected officials effective July 1, 2025 Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 2 FY2026 operating budget: raise $28,104,255 plus transfers; total budget $30,257,858 including school districts Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 3 FY2026 water enterprise budget: $2,272,639 from receipts and $195,000 from retained earnings Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 4 FY2026 sewer enterprise budget: $3,521,058 from receipts, $100,000 free cash and $164,000 retained earnings Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 5 Transfer $25,000 from overlay surplus for state-mandated property revaluation Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 6 Transfer $50,000 from free cash to the Compensated Absence Account Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 7 Transfer $50,000 from free cash for municipal building maintenance projects Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 8 Transfer $50,000 from free cash to update financial and time-keeping software Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 9 Transfer $20,000 from free cash for emergency demolition services Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 10 Transfer $25,000 from free cash for tax foreclosure procedures on delinquent parcels Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 11 Appropriate $75,000 from the School Stabilization Fund for unanticipated out-of-district placement costs Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 12 Transfer $70,000 from the School Stabilization Fund for a three-year math curriculum Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 13 Transfer $300,000 from free cash for an accelerated pavement and sidewalk plan Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 14 Transfer $135,000 from free cash for non-union salary increases and a Fire Department compensation review Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 15 Transfer $100,000 from free cash to train and pay a student police officer Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 16 Capital plan: $879,500 ($739,500 free cash, $40,000 water and $100,000 sewer retained earnings) Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 17 Appropriate $3,276,722 to update the Marion Town House ($300,000 free cash, borrowing contingent on debt exclusion) Passed “Motion (on original Article 17) declared carried by a 2/3 majority”
- Art. 18 Transfer $100,000 from free cash to the OPEB Liability Trust Fund Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 19 Transfer $2,000 from the Chester A. Vose Fund to reduce taxes Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 20 Amend Community Preservation Committee duties in Section 7-16(E) of the Code of Marion Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 21 Return $141,220.54 in unspent Community Preservation project funds to their fund categories Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 22 Community Preservation: $12,000 for FY2026 administrative expenses Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 23 Community Preservation: reserve $122,280 for required categories and $273,319 to a budgeted reserve Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 24 Community Preservation: $68,000 to restore the historic town clock at the Marion Congregational Church Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 25 Community Preservation: $12,000 for standard signs at open space and recreation areas Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 26 Community Preservation: $536,547 for sprinklers and ADA improvements at the Marion Town House Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 27 Community Preservation: $33,000 to assess and preserve Native American artifacts at the Natural History Museum Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 28 Extend to June 30, 2026 the Shared-Use-Path easement appraisals ($18,000) Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 29 Extend to June 30, 2027 the Shared-Use-Path easement acquisition ($120,000) Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 30 Extend to June 30, 2026 the Boatyard Park survey and signage project ($11,750) Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 31 Repeal Chapter 120 (Stretch Energy Code) of the Code of Marion Passed “Motion (Article 31) declared carried”
- Art. 32 Add a Historic Districts bylaw to the Code of Marion Failed “Motion (Article 32) declared failed (did not reach a 2/3 majority)”
- Art. 33 Zoning: new section allowing Protected Use Accessory Dwelling Units (Section 8.14) Passed “Motion (on original version of Article 33) declared carried by 2/3 majority”
- Art. 34 Zoning: delete Section 8.6 (Accessory Apartments) Passed “Motion declared carried by 2/3 majority”
- Art. 35 Zoning: amend definitions in Section 11.2 Passed “Motion declared carried by 2/3 majority”
- Art. 36 Zoning: new section regulating Short-Term Rental Properties Passed as amended “Motion on Article 36 as amended declared carried by 2/3 majority”
- Art. 37 Zoning: amend Section 4.2 Table of Principal Uses Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 38 Accept Clause 22J: yearly increase in veterans' property tax exemptions, from FY2026 Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 39 Let the Select Board accept or convey easements for streets, utilities and public purposes Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 40 Set FY2026 Recreation Revolving Fund, spending up to $150,000 Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 41 Set FY2026 Public Health Revolving Fund, spending up to $60,000 Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 42 Let the Select Board apply for and spend state, federal and private grants Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 43 Let the Select Board institute, defend or compromise lawsuits Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 44 Let the Select Board sell town property the Town no longer needs Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 45 Sell or transfer tax-possession property after notifying town boards Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 46 Let the Select Board lease town-owned land and property for up to 20 years Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 47 Consider reports of town officers and committees Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 48 Elect town officers by ballot on May 16, 2025 Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 49 Citizens' petition superseded by Article 31 (Stretch Energy Code) Indefinitely postponed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 50 Move the Harbormaster's office from Police Department authority to the Town Manager Tabled “Motion to table indefinitely declared carried”
- Art. 51 Appropriate $2,700,000 for sidewalks, roads and ways ($500,000 free cash, $2,200,000 borrowing contingent on debt exclusion) Passed “Motion (Article 51) declared carried by 2/3 majority”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes in the 2025 Marion Annual Town Report.
Special Town Meeting · May 12, 2025 1 votes: 1 passed
Sessions: May 12, 2025 (held within the Annual Town Meeting)
- S1 Transfer $27,206.86 from free cash to cover FY2025 snow and ice removal costs Passed “Motion declared carried”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes in the 2025 Marion Annual Town Report.
Annual Town Meeting · May 13, 2024 47 votes: 40 passed, 5 indefinitely postponed, 2 tabled
Sessions: May 13, 2024 (election May 17, 2024)
- Art. 1 Approve compensation schedule for elected officials (e.g. Select Board $4,902 each per year) Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 2 FY2025 operating budget: raise $27,093,836 plus transfers; total budget $28,837,711 including school districts Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 3 FY2025 water enterprise budget: $2,310,438 from receipts and $195,000 from retained earnings Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 4 FY2025 sewer enterprise budget: $3,370,200 from receipts and $275,000 from retained earnings Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 5 Transfer $25,000 from overlay surplus for state-mandated property revaluation Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 6 Transfer $50,000 from free cash to the Compensated Absence Account Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 7 Transfer $50,000 from free cash for municipal building maintenance projects Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 8 Transfer $5,000 from free cash to update the Open Space and Recreation Plan Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 9 Transfer $150,000 from the School Stabilization Fund for unanticipated out-of-district placement costs Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 10 Transfer $20,000 from free cash for emergency demolition services Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 11 Appropriate $20,000 for emergency removal of diseased or storm-damaged trees Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 12 Transfer $50,000 from free cash for tax foreclosure procedures on delinquent parcels Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 13 Reuse $25,242.45 left from a 2022 article to replace vinyl flooring at the Cushing Community Center Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 14 Capital items: $1,383,177 from free cash, $750,000 water and $314,000 sewer retained earnings Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 15 Appropriate $1,699,645 for a new DPW operations building ($803,195 free cash, $896,450 borrowing contingent on debt exclusion) Passed “Motion declared carried by 2/3 vote”
- Art. 16 Transfer $403,250 from the Waterways Fund and $400,000 from free cash for a replacement public safety and patrol boat Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 16A Borrow $803,250 for a replacement public safety and patrol boat (postponed because Article 16 passed) Indefinitely postponed “Motion to postpone indefinitely declared passed”
- Art. 17 Article 17 (subject not stated in the Clerk's minutes) Indefinitely postponed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 18 Transfer $100,000 from free cash to the OPEB Liability Trust Fund Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 19 Transfer $2,000 from the Chester A. Vose Fund to reduce taxes Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 20 Community Preservation: $12,000 for FY2025 administrative expenses Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 21 Community Preservation: reserve $120,090 for required categories and $268,210 to a budgeted reserve Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 22 Community Preservation: $11,750 to survey and mark the bounds of Boatyard Park Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 23 Community Preservation: $77,000 to design, permit and bid Silvershell Beach parking lot improvements Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 24 Community Preservation: $120,000 to buy easements for the Shared Use Path Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 25 Article 25 (postponed because Article 14 passed; subject not stated in the Clerk's minutes) Indefinitely postponed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 26 Community Preservation: $75,000 for added Shared Use Path engineering Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 27 Community Preservation: $5,470 for irrigation at Bicentennial Park and the Sippican School Children's Garden Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 28 Community Preservation: $16,744 for a digital cemetery management system Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 29 Community Preservation: $30,000 for 10 markers on historic buildings and sites Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 30 Extend funding period for Shared Use Path easement appraisals (2022 Article 20) to June 30, 2025 Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 31 Article 31 (subject not stated in the Clerk's minutes) Indefinitely postponed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 32 Accept G.L. c.90 s.17C (lets the Select Board set 25 mph speed limits in thickly settled areas) Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 33 Discontinue part of Wells Road as a public way and let the Select Board convey it to abutters Indefinitely postponed “Motion to indefinitely postpone Article 33 declared carried”
- Art. 34 Redraw the Aquifer Protection Overlay District on the zoning map Tabled “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 35 Rezone lots at 207-215 Wareham Street from General Business to Residential E Passed “Motion declared carried by 2/3 majority”
- Art. 36 Let the Select Board accept or convey easements for streets, utilities and public purposes Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 37 Set FY2025 Recreation Revolving Fund, spending up to $150,000 Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 38 Set FY2025 Public Health Revolving Fund, spending up to $60,000 Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 39 Let the Select Board apply for and spend state, federal and private grants Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 40 Let the Select Board institute, defend or compromise lawsuits Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 41 Let the Select Board sell town property the Town no longer needs Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 42 Sell or transfer tax-possession property after notifying town boards Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 43 Let the Select Board lease town-owned land and property for up to 20 years Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 44 Consider reports of town officers and committees Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 45 Elect town officers by ballot on May 17, 2024 Passed “Motion declared carried”
- Art. 46 Citizen petition: repair and maintain storm drains and investigate flooding near Ichabod Lane Tabled “Motion to table declared carried”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes in the 2024 Marion Annual Town Report.
Not here yet: the May 2026 Annual Town Meeting (Marion prints Town Meeting minutes only in its Annual Town Report, and the 2026 report is not out yet).
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
"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 Select Board meeting with minutes in the town's online Agenda Center, January 2022 through July 29, 2026. Not here: minutes before 2022 (the town's Agenda Center starts in 2022), most meetings from mid-July to mid-December 2022 (the town has not posted those minutes), executive-session minutes, and minutes the town has not posted yet (every meeting after July 29, 2026). The Select Board also serves as the town's Water and Sewer Commissioners, and those votes are included. Marion's minutes are scanned paper copies, which we read by computer text recognition and checked by hand where the scan was unclear. They usually record each vote as a count of yes, no and abstaining votes ("VOTE 3-0-0"). When the count equals the members present with no one opposed or abstaining, or the minutes say all members voted aye, we show every member present as voting yes. When a split count names who voted no or abstained and the numbers add up, we show each member's vote; when a split count does not say who voted which way, or the count and the members present do not match, we show the count only and add a note. Votes by other boards at joint meetings (Planning Board, Finance Committee and others) are not included; where the board voted together with another board, only the Select Board members' votes are shown. 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 15Give all elected members that have offices in the…Motion: to give all elected members that have offices in the Town…Passed 2–1 · see note
April 15, 2025: Give all elected members that have offices in the Town House key fob access
To give all elected members that have offices in the Town House key fob access.
The minutes give a count of 2-1-0 but name Norman A. Hills as abstaining, which does not match, so we show the count only, not how each member voted.
From the minutes
“Mr. Parker moved to give all elected members that have offices in the Town House key fob access. Mr. Burr seconded. VOTE 2-1-0 Mr. Hills abstained 5..” (Motion: Parker, second: Burr)
Mar 24Remove Article 34 (Water Use Restrictions)Motion: to remove Article 34 (Water Use Restrictions).Passed 2–1 · No: Hills
March 24, 2025 (Special meeting): Remove Article 34 (Water Use Restrictions)
To remove Article 34 (Water Use Restrictions).
Yes: Burr, ParkerNo: Hills
From the minutes
“Mr. Burr moved to remove Article 34 (Water Use Restrictions). Mr. Parker seconded. VOTE 2-1-0, Mr. Hills voting no..” (Motion: Burr, second: Parker)
Mar 24Remove Article 36 (Stormwater Management)Motion: to remove Article 36 (Stormwater Management).Passed 2–1 · No: Hills
March 24, 2025 (Special meeting): Remove Article 36 (Stormwater Management)
To remove Article 36 (Stormwater Management).
Yes: Burr, ParkerNo: Hills
From the minutes
“Mr. Burr moved to remove Article 36 (Stormwater Management). Mr. Parker seconded. VOTE 2-1- 0, Mr. Hills voting no..” (Motion: Burr, second: Parker)
Mar 24Move _ forward with gathering information on this processMotion: to move _ forward with gathering information on this process.Passed 2–1 · No: Hills
March 24, 2025 (Special meeting): Move _ forward with gathering information on this process
To move _ forward with gathering information on this process.
Yes: Burr, ParkerNo: Hills
From the minutes
“Mr. Parker moved to move _ forward with gathering information on this process. Mr. Burr seconded. VOTE 2-1-0 Mr. Hills voting no..” (Motion: Parker, second: Burr)
From the Marion Select Board’s official minutes, posted in the town’s Agenda Center. We check every vote against the members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials.
How to read these pagesWhere the votes come from, how we check them against the official minutes, what isn't included yet, and how to report a mistake.About city pages →