On Monday, November 11, 2024, repair and pavement work will begin to roadways that had underground utility work completed earlier this year.
These streets include Wilson Road, Parrot Road, Fallon Way, Linda Lane, Emerald Road, Pond Street (between Valley Road and Emerald Road), Ward Road, Fox Hill Road, and lower Castle Road
There will be no parking allowed in these areas starting Monday through Friday until the work is completed between 6:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Due to the extremely dry conditions, recent drought and increase in wildfires, The Nahant Fire Department has issued a Temporary Ban on Outdoor Burning and Open Flames in Town.
The Nahant Fire Department is issuing the following order under the authority of Section 10.10.2 of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code:
Effective immediately, the use of open recreational and cooking fires including fire pits, chimineas, and outdoor fireplaces is prohibited until further notice. Cautious use of outdoor gas or propane cooking grills are still permitted at this time.
This includes no beach fire pits/bonfires on any Town beaches.
Please see the full notice from the Nahant Fire Department below:
As always in the case of any fire emergency we urge you to call 911 immediately for assistance.
Nahant, MA- On Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at a Board of Selectmen meeting, the Board unanimously voted in favor of requesting special legislation to extend the term length of the borrowing used to purchase the Coast Guard Housing property. The borrowing, originally executed in 2004 for ten years, extended for another ten years by way of special legislation in 2015, has a balance of $1,866,000 due on January 10, 2025.
As of today, a total of $1,403,000 in accepted offers has been received. Therefore, there is a good chance that the extended borrowing may not be needed, particularly since 3 lots go to bid next week. However, extension of the borrowing is a low-cost and prudent backup plan in the event the full $1,866,000 is not received by January 10, 2025.
The Town listed 6 of the 12 lots for sale in August. Lot 1 has been sold and the Town is scheduled to close on Lot 3 by Tuesday, November 5, 2024. On Friday, November 1, 2024, the Town received a qualifying offer of $450,000. In addition, lots 9, 5, and 11 have been relisted to accept bids on Wednesday, November 6th, Thursday, November 7th, and Friday, November 8th, respectively, all at 12:30pm.
The Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator stated at Wednesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting that the Town remains committed to executing the direction set forth by the approved Town Meeting Article. The request for special legislation is not an attempt to change course.
Why is the Town seeking special legislation to extend the term of the loan?
It is expected that the real estate market could slow down around the holidays. The Town’s plan is to issue another RFP that lists all remaining lots for sale in January or February. The special legislation is an effort to eliminate the risk of not being able to pay off the loan by January 10, 2025. Keep in mind that it is possible that the Town will not need this legislation depending on the results of the sale process next week. However, with the legislative session ending in two months, and due to the lack of activity with recent sales, the Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator chose to send this request as soon as possible.
Are there other options for the Town to consider?
Yes. At the Board of Selectmen meeting on Wednesday night, the Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator explained a number of options that were and continue to be under consideration. A recording of this meeting is available in the Board of Selectmen’s Video Meeting Archive on Nahant.org or by clicking here.
A Special Town Meeting could be called prior to January 10th to ask the voters to authorize borrowing or spending from available funds to be used to pay off the remaining balance of the borrowing. This remains an option for the Town to consider; however, it can be revisited following the bid process next week.
The Town could use current fiscal year available revenues to cover the cost of the remaining balance due in January. This also remains an option for the Town to consider; however, it can be revisited following the bid process next week. Notably, should the Town pursue this option, the risk of not selling enough lots to refund the amount used from available funds by the end of the fiscal year could put the Town in a fiscal deficit.
In combination with the above option, the Town could seek authorization at Annual Town Meeting in May of 2025 to transfer available funds from the Stabilization account in the current fiscal year for the amount used from available funds to cover the remaining loan principal balance in January.
The Town could bond for the remaining balance due in January. A bond is a form of long-term borrowing that must be paid in accordance to its debt schedule, including principal and interest payments. It is unknown at this time what those costs would total. It should be noted that the Town will not be able to pay down the bond prior to maturity. Reduce the price of the lots and attempt to sell the remaining lots of the current RFP prior to January 10, 2025. The Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator are not considering this option. First, the Town intends to get the best value for these properties. A certified real estate appraiser as well as our listing agent have confirmed the values of the current listings through multiple reviews of the current local real estate market. Second, to change the value of the lots would require a procurement process that would push the schedule of listings into the holiday season which tends to have less possible buyers. Third, lowering the value of the lots could risk litigation with the buyers of lots that have already sold.
Request special legislation to extend the term of the current borrowing beyond January 10, 2025. This option is time sensitive because of the legislature’s schedule ending in December. Extending the term length is not authorization to borrow additional funds. While it does come with annual interest payments, the interest rate is less than that of a bond. Also, as soon as the Town sells enough property resulting in revenue equal to the remaining balance of the loan, the Town will pay off the debt. This could occur prior to the first interest payment being due. Bond Counsel recommends an extension of 10 years to be consistent with prior borrowing terms
What happens after the remaining balance of the loan is paid? Once the original debt for the purchase of the property is paid off, the Town will continue to sell the remaining properties as directed by the Town Meeting Article. Additionally, Town Meeting authorized two separate borrowings for the costs associated with carrying out this process. Those borrowing authorizations are for a total of $1,300,000. Every dollar earned from the sale of the remaining lots will be used to pay this debt. If there are additional funds received after paying the debts related to the sale of these properties, they will become part of the Town’s Free Cash and can be appropriated at a future Town Meeting.
The Board of Selectmen have opened up a Public Comment Period for Short Term Rental Fees.
These fees will be subject to residents operating a Short Term Rental Unit(s) in Nahant.
After the comment period ends the Board of Selectmen will review the comments/questions and take a vote to approve the fees and the Short Term Rules and Regulations at a future meeting. These fees will then be added to our Town’s Master Fee Schedule.
If you have any comments or questions about the Short Term Rental Fees please send to ktaylor@nahant.org by November 01, 2024.
The list of proposed Short Term Rental fees, the Master Fee Schedule and the Draft Short Term Rules and Regulations can all be found on the Short Term Rental Committee landing page at nahant.org by following the link below.
This past July we put out an announcement that the Planning Board is seeking two alternate members and asked that letters of interest be submitted by August 14, 2024.
At a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and Nahant Planning Board on August 29, 2024, both boards agreed to extend that submission deadline.
The new deadline for submissions will be September 05, 2024 after which both Boards will meet again on September 18, 2024 to take a joint vote to fill the seats.
As a reminder, Alternate Members are allowed to join all meetings, make comments/questions and weigh in on topics. However, they are not allowed to vote.
The Town of Nahant announces that it will be selling 12 buildable residential lots in the coming months, offering a rare opportunity to procure a conforming lot in town.
On Tuesday, August 13th, five Nahant Girl Scouts in Troop 62860–Ione Byam Miller, Maeve Nugent, Violet Powell, Julianne Sheehan, and Eliana Uzcategui–celebrated the installation of their Beach Basket Coastal Cleanup Resilience Project alongside Town Administrator Tony Barletta and Select Board Members Rob Tibbo and Gene Canty. The completion of their project comes after months of work, in which, the Girls in Troop 62860 identified a community issue and developed a solution to address it. With help from the Nahant DPW and Safe Waters in Massachusetts (SWIM), the Girls installed four Beach Basket Stations: two at Short Beach and two at Tudor Beach.
When visiting Short Beach or Tudor Beach, beachgoers can pick up an empty yellow basket at the stations and use it to collect trash and debris along their way. When finished with collection, they can empty the basket in the trash and return the basket to its station.
The Town of Nahant would like to thank the Girls of Troop 62860, their parents, DPW Superintendent Zach Taylor, and members of Nahant’s SWIM and their President Vi Patek. It was through the collaborative effort of these individuals that led to the completion of this project. With the help and participation of Nahant Residents, we should all look forward to enjoying cleaner beaches.
We are now extending a second public comment period to August 16th. We would like to remind residents that they have until this day to comment on the proposed changes for the Fiscal Year 2025 Master Fee Schedule.
After all comments have been submitted and reviewed, the Board of Selectmen will vote at an upcoming meeting to accept the proposed changes and the full Maser Fee Schedule.
Starting back in June 2024, we began reviewing the fee schedule for fiscal year 2025 and opened up a public comment period. That public comment period lasted until August 7th, 2024.
Those that wish to comment can send correspondence to ktaylor@nahant.org before August 16th.
Each fiscal year the Board of Selectmen review and vote on the Town’s Master Fee Schedule for the upcoming year.
The fee schedule includes all fees that departments in Town charge for services.
With the conclusion of fiscal year 2024, the Board of Selectmen has voted to consider increasing fees for certain permits/activities for fiscal year 2025.
Before the Board takes the final vote to increase said fees, the Town will have an open comment period for residents up until August 16, 2024.
The Town reviewed Inspectional Services Department fee data from 30 to 35 Massachusetts’ municipalities for the year 2022. The intent of the proposed changes to the fees in this department is to bring Nahant closer to the mean fee rate of this data.
The intention of the proposed increase to the Resident Parking Sticker fee is to generate revenue that will cover the increases of expenses over the past 3 years and the intention of the new format of the fee is to encourage residents to purchase stickers earlier in the year. If approved, the new rate would go into effect January 1, 2025.
Currently, the revenue of Resident Parking Stickers go into the following accounts: 50% general fund revenue, 37.5% recreation revolving revenue, 12.5% sailing revolving revenue.
The recreation revolving account and the sailing revolving account are used to pay for each summer program, which includes funding salaries, supplies, and other program expenses. The recreation program has a director and approximately 3 additional employees per year, while the sailing program now had a director and has approximately 16 additional employees per year.
The increase to minimum wage is the driving factor in the increase of expenses out of these accounts. In 2020, the MA minimum wage was $12.75/hr, in 2021 it increased to $13.50/hr, in 2022 it increased to $14.25/hr, and in 2023 it increased to $15.00/hr. This represents a 17.6% increase over 3 years. The total salary expenses in the recreation revolving account have increased by 55%, while the total salary expenses in the sailing revolving account have increased by 126%.
The proposed increase to the Resident Parking Sticker doesn’t account for the total increase in expenses however it would help reduce the reliance on the General Fund to cover the difference.
Below is a list of the fees that the Board is suggesting be increased and also the fee schedule from fiscal year 2024.
Please send all comments or questions to Kristin Taylor at ktaylor@nahant.org by August 16, 2024.
The Town of Nahant and the Board of Selectmen have finalized a draft of the Short Term Rental Rules and Regulations and the next step will be to hold a public comment period before voting to approve them.
We urge Residents to review the draft of the Short Term Rental Rules and Regulations which can be found below, and submit any comments, questions or concerns.
All comments should be submitted to ktaylor@nahant.org by September 06, 2024.
After the the comment period has ended the Board of Selectmen will review all submissions and will then vote to approve the regulations at an upcoming public meeting (date of meeting to be announced).
Starting back in June 2024, we began reviewing the fee schedule for fiscal year 2025 and opened up a public comment period. We opened the first public comment period that ended on August 7th, 2024.
We are now extending the final public comment period to August 16, 2024 where all comments will be reviewed by the Board of Selectmen before they take a vote on the fee schedule at an upcoming public meeting.
Each fiscal year the Board of Selectmen review and vote on the Town’s Master Fee Schedule for the upcoming year.
The fee schedule includes all fees that departments in Town charge for services.
With the conclusion of fiscal year 2024, the Board of Selectmen has voted to consider increasing fees for certain permits/activities for fiscal year 2025.
The Town reviewed Inspectional Services Department fee data from 30 to 35 Massachusetts’ municipalities for the year 2022. The intent of the proposed changes to the fees in this department is to bring Nahant closer to the mean fee rate of this data.
The intention of the proposed increase to the Resident Parking Sticker fee is to generate revenue that will cover the increases of expenses over the past 3 years and the intention of the new format of the fee is to encourage residents to purchase stickers earlier in the year. If approved, the new rate would go into effect January 1, 2025.
Currently, the revenue of Resident Parking Stickers go into the following accounts: 50% general fund revenue, 37.5% recreation revolving revenue, 12.5% sailing revolving revenue.
The recreation revolving account and the sailing revolving account are used to pay for each summer program, which includes funding salaries, supplies, and other program expenses. The recreation program has a director and approximately 3 additional employees per year, while the sailing program now had a director and has approximately 16 additional employees per year.
The increase to minimum wage is the driving factor in the increase of expenses out of these accounts. In 2020, the MA minimum wage was $12.75/hr, in 2021 it increased to $13.50/hr, in 2022 it increased to $14.25/hr, and in 2023 it increased to $15.00/hr. This represents a 17.6% increase over 3 years. The total salary expenses in the recreation revolving account have increased by 55%, while the total salary expenses in the sailing revolving account have increased by 126%.
The proposed increase to the Resident Parking Sticker doesn’t account for the total increase in expenses however it would help reduce the reliance on the General Fund to cover the difference.
Below is a list of the fees that the Board is suggesting be increased and also the fee schedule from fiscal year 2024.
If you wish to submit questions or comments regarding the fee schedule and the changes please email Kristin Taylor at ktaylor@nahant.org. by August 16, 2024.
To view the Town results from the State Electionclick here
