Essex Board of Selectmen Approves Warrant Framework With Two Override Questions Pending

ESSEX -- February 9, 2026, Essex Board of Selectmen advances bicycle charity event, defers senior tax relief warrant article to fall. The board unanimously directed Town Administrator Brendan Kelly to coordinate with public safety officials on a proposed July 18 charity bike ride through Essex organized by Changing Futures, a cystic fibrosis nonprofit that says it distributed $70,000 from bike fundraising last year. Separately, the board agreed to form an ad hoc committee, drawing from the Board of Assessors, Finance Committee, Council on Aging, and citizen members, to study senior property tax relief options, deferring a proposed senior taxation aid fund warrant article until the November town meeting. The Finance Committee is projecting a school Proposition 2½ override of approximately $230,000 and a possible second municipal override of similar size, with the warrant set for signing on March 23. Resident Ruth Pine's request to place articles repealing Essex's 1.5% Community Preservation Act surcharge and the town's open space residential development bylaw drew skepticism from board members, who said they wanted more information before acting and noted that eliminating the CPA surcharge would require both a town meeting vote and a public referendum.