Essex Board of Selectmen Approves Harbormaster Software Switch, Advances Fall Town Meeting Warrant

ESSEX -- September 22, 2025, Essex Board of Selectmen advances packed fall town meeting warrant anchored by a $650,000 to $700,000 fire tanker and mooring fee increases. The board met jointly with the Finance Committee on September 22 and worked through more than 30 draft articles, with Fire Chief Christian Latorella warning that the department's 33-year-old tanker grows more expensive every year it goes unreplaced, now $150,000 to $200,000 more than its estimated cost just two years ago. Town Administrator Brendan Zubrzycki reported that certified free cash stands at $323,675, far short of covering the tanker alongside an OPEB contribution, an AFSCME successor agreement, grinder pump purchases, and other commitments; the Finance Committee will bring a funding recommendation to the October 6 board meeting, ahead of the October 20 warrant signing deadline. The board unanimously approved a $10,300 building envelope assessment of the fire and police station by Copeland Building Envelope Consulting, funded from leftover construction project funds. It voted unanimously to switch the harbormaster's records management platform from LinksLog to DOCWA at a cost of just over $3,300 for the remainder of the fiscal year. Jesse Palm was appointed to the Affordable Housing Trust, with board member Annie Harris citing Palm's perspective as a renter in a committee she described as "older than 50, all homeowners."