The Duxbury Selectboard officially set the stage for the upcoming spring legislative session on Thursday, finalizing the legal documents that will bring a nearly $1.9 million tax override and a multi-million dollar school study before voters. Meeting remotely in the wake of a historic winter storm, the board moved to formally close and sign the warrants for the March 14, 2026, Annual and Special Town Meetings.

The procedural step solidifies the town’s fiscal path forward following months of debate over the FY27 budget. The warrants include the $1,891,916 operational override—a figure the board previously locked in as a "lean" alternative to larger restoration requests—and the $1.75 million feasibility study for the Alden School. Chair Brian Glennon initiated the formal proceedings to lock the documents, stating Motion Made by B. Glennon to close the March 14th, 2026 special town meeting warrant. The Motion Passed (4-0-0) with support from members Fernando Guitart, Michael Reed, and Cindy Ladd Fife. Immediately following, the board moved to execute the documents. Motion Made by B. Glennon to sign the March 14th, 2026 annual and special town meeting warrants. That Motion Passed (4-0-0), requiring members to coordinate physical signatures at Town Hall within the next 24 hours.

While the warrants dictated the town's future, the immediate aftermath of "Blizzard Hernando" dominated the meeting's open forum. Town Manager René Read reported that despite the severity of the storm, which left 221 residents still without power at the time of the meeting, utility response was unprecedented. With respect to Eversource, their response to this storm was the strongest that we have ever seen, Read said, noting the company was eight hours ahead of schedule with crews doubled in the field. The goal is to have power back to everyone by 6 p.m. today.

Selectboard members praised the inter-agency cooperation that brought the town through the blizzard, including the arrival of state equipment and National Guard support. Fernando Guitart highlighted the assistance of Senator Patrick O'Connor in securing resources from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MIMA). All around a great team effort. Everybody working hard to recover from this blizzard. By the way, it's called Blizzard Hernando. So, fortunately, it was with an H, Guitart remarked, noting that a National Guard member who was also a licensed electrician helped save a failing backup generator during the height of the storm.

Michael Reed requested a formal "after-action" meeting with utility and state officials to ensure the town continues to refine its emergency protocols. I would also like to have a post-mortem after this storm with hopefully somebody from MIMA and Eversource and maybe some members of our emergency response team so that the public can understand if there are things that we could have done differently, Reed suggested, noting that the town had benefited from similar reviews following past windstorms. Read agreed to place the item on a future agenda, even as he confirmed that all town roads had been made passable by DPW and contract crews.

The meeting also touched on the grassroots efforts of residents who assisted one another during the cleanup. Cindy Ladd Fife shared a local anecdote of a contractor from Fall River who used a Bobcat to clear fire hydrants in her neighborhood. I just want to say that, amazingly, we had our street plowed yesterday by a Bobcat with a man from Fall River. I think it's not just a local issue, she noted, thanking the various teams involved in the recovery.

As the town transitions from storm recovery to town meeting preparation, Executive Assistant Nancy O'Connor coordinated the physical signing of the three original warrant copies. Despite the logistical hurdles of the post-blizzard commute, members agreed to visit Town Hall between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. the following morning to finalize the paperwork. Brian Glennon closed the discussion by thanking municipal employees and residents alike. Thanks also to all of the town residents looking after one another, clearing each other out and really pulling together at this difficult time, Glennon said.