Winthrop Council Debates Single Ballot for School Override and Firehouse Vote

WINTHROP -- January 7, 2025, Winthrop Town Council sparred over whether to combine a school override and a firehouse debt exclusion on one spring ballot. Council President Jim Leteri's State of the Town Address outlined a $5 million cost reduction on the proposed new fire station and confirmed the earliest possible election date as March 11, 2025; a $35 million debt exclusion for the firehouse and a school operating override of up to $4.9 million are the two questions under consideration. Vice President Hannah Belcher argued for a single combined ballot, saying "I don't think it's right to pit these two constituencies against each other," while Councilors Tassaneri and Costigan said both campaigns need more time to organize. The council also approved a $30,000 draw from the Rink Enterprise Fund's $131,750 in retained earnings for emergency mechanical repairs, heard that flood engineering firm Woodard and Curran has priced phase two of the Tyleston-Girdlestone drainage design at $156,000 with no funding yet secured, and re-elected Hannah Belcher as Vice President unanimously. A voluntary dismissal with prejudice was filed the same day in the lawsuit challenging the town's rejection of MBTA 3A zoning compliance.