Marblehead Voters Deserve the Truth

Your town is making major decisions.
Are you being told about them?

Elected and appointed officials are moving forward on costly programs that will affect every household in Marblehead — with little to no public explanation. We're here to change that.

Start Here: The New Trash Program

Issue #1

The New Trash & Recycling Barrel Program

Marblehead is spending $1 million of your tax dollars to replace every trash and recycling barrel in town — even if yours works perfectly fine.

~16,000

New barrels to be purchased and distributed to every household

$1M

Cost to taxpayers for the new barrel program alone

What it would cost you if they let residents keep their existing barrels

What's Actually Happening

Your current barrels will be banned. Every resident will be required to use the new town-issued barrels — even if your existing barrels are the exact same size.
There was a cheaper option. Allowing residents to keep their own bins would have cost only $200,000 per year extra — far less than buying 16,000 new barrels at a $1 million upfront cost.
Historic Marblehead has a real problem. Many homes in the historic district simply don't have the space for the large new standardized barrels.
This is happening quietly. Local media has not covered this story, and residents have not been meaningfully informed by the officials making these decisions.

And Then There's the Override

A $2.3 million override is being proposed — with trash collection cited as a primary justification. But actual trash collection costs only went up by $800,000. So why is the override $1.5 million more than the cost increase? Marblehead residents deserve a straight answer.

Learn More About the Override

Issue #2

The Proposed Tax Override

A large tax increase is being proposed that will affect every property owner in Marblehead. The numbers don't fully add up — and the public hasn't been given a clear explanation.

What We Know

A Proposition 2½ override is being proposed for town services and infrastructure.
A separate $2.3 million override is being justified largely on the basis of increased trash costs.
Actual trash collection costs increased by $800,000 — leaving $1.5 million unaccounted for in the trash override alone.
Residents are being asked to approve significant long-term tax increases without complete, plain-language explanations of where the money is going.

What We're Asking

A full, public breakdown of every dollar in the proposed overrides.
An honest explanation of why the trash override exceeds actual cost increases by $1.5 million.
Genuine outreach to residents — not just notice buried in town meeting documents.
Consideration of lower-cost alternatives before asking taxpayers to foot the bill.

Stay Informed. Speak Up.

These decisions are being made now. The more Marblehead residents who are paying attention, the more our elected officials will have to answer for their choices.

Share this site with your neighbors. Ask questions at town meetings. Demand transparency.