Stoneham Select Board Creates Override Study Committee, Raises Trash Fee Unanimously

STONEHAM -- June 24, 2025, Stoneham Select Board unanimously establishes Override Study Committee and raises trash fee by $21.47 per account. The board voted 5-0 on both measures at its June 24 meeting, creating a five-member resident advisory panel charged with assessing the town's fiscal outlook for fiscal years 2026 through 2029 and aiding public communication ahead of a potential Proposition 2½ override ballot question. Select Board member Heidi Bilbo was appointed as the board's representative and liaison to the new committee; letters of interest are due by July 2, with a virtual appointment meeting targeted for July 7. Town Administrator Dennis Sheehan outlined four candidate election dates, November 4, December 6, December 9, and January 13, 2026, but the board took no vote, with members expressing general preference for a calendar year 2025 date and flagging the $6.2 million projected fiscal year 2027 shortfall as the central figure any ballot question must confront. The trash fee increase, covering all 5,820 town accounts, takes effect July 1 and results from the removal of a $125,000 general fund subsidy. The board also approved six Vietnam War veteran street corner dedication ceremonies beginning August 16, the Field of Honor flag display at Stoneham Middle School from November 7 through 16, and a four-day appearance by the Vietnam Moving Wall, the traveling memorial's first return to Stoneham in roughly 20 years.