NAHANT — Nahant voters approved a $1 million override at Saturday’s annual Town Meeting. If approved by voters in June, the override is expected to cost the median household about $604 annually.

The full override will increase operating expenses to address inflation pressures, add four new full-time firefighters, modestly increase the call firefighter budget, expand school tutoring, curriculum, and professional development programs aimed at improving MCAS scores, and increase contributions to the town stabilization fund while paying down debt to reduce future interest payments.

The override measure, Article 6B, passed 175-33 during the five-hour meeting attended by more than 100 residents.

State law requires that the larger dollar amount override budget, having received a majority of the ballot vote, will become the operating budget for FY27.

“I suspect as the afternoon wears on, we’re going to hear a number of passionate speakers on various topics,” Advisory and Finance Committee Co-chair Bob Vanderslice told residents before the override debate. “My task right now is to speak dispassionately, if I can, on the override specifically.”

“Let’s be really clear,” Vanderslice added. “This is a series of three articles about how you want to spend your money. What town services do you want to receive for the tax dollars that you are spending? This is your choice. This is not the Finance Committee’s; this is not the Selectman; this is the town vote.”

Much of the debate centered on staffing needs within the Nahant Fire Department. Fire Chief Austin Antrum warned residents of “increasing demand and substantially increased risk if we have not adjusted our staffing.”

Resident Michael Manning, a former Nahant call firefighter, urged the town to expand staffing even further.

He encouraged “the chief to consider not just adding one permanent firefighter to the duty roster each day,” and “suggested he add two call firefighters each and every day to help them get acclimated to the exact way that you send out four firefighters on every call ready to respond.”

Town Administrator Alison Nieto said the override package also restores a transfer to the stabilization fund, including $56,000 that “hasn’t been done in two years,” while increasing debt service funding.

Superintendent of Schools Rob Liebow defended the education portion of the override, which totals $191,245 and would “increase the present ELL math interventionist to full-time.”

“I’ve done this for 50 years, and kids, as far as I’m concerned, are the town’s greatest resource,” Liebow said. “They get one shot at it, and… once you’re behind, it’s very, very difficult to catch up.”

Residents narrowly approved creating a committee to study parking stickers for the beach, 49-48. However, Article 25, a citizen’s petition that would have allowed resident parking permits to be transferred between vehicles, failed 40-56.

Residents also approved an amendment to Article 19 for the Annual Town Meeting to be held on the second Saturday in May, and the Town Election on the third Tuesday in May, with a vote of 65-22.

Residents also approved Article 11, 133-7, appropriating $25,000 to the town’s Other Post-Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund, which is used to help fund future retiree benefit obligations.

Residents also approved restricting the use of anticoagulant rodenticides. Article 23, prohibiting the use of first- and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides on town properties, passed 89-8, while Article 24, banning the substances townwide, passed 91-7.

Residents also approved Article 4, which amended the town’s salary classification bylaws by increasing the salary range for town assessors from $88,500 to $100,178 and a salary cap at $122,765, with a vote of 146-32.

Residents backed several major infrastructure and financial measures aimed at maintaining core town services and funding long-term capital projects.

Voters approved Article 14, appropriating $500,000 for the study, maintenance, and repair of water distribution lines, with a 134-9 vote. Residents also approved $300,000 for stormwater drainage improvements on White Way under Article 13, with a vote of 129-14, and $200,000 for paving projects through Article 12, with a vote of 135-10. Article 16, the Chapter 90 highway construction and maintenance measure, passed 135-7.

Residents also approved the operation of the town’s enterprise funds for water, sewer, and rubbish services. Article 7, authorizing the Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund, passed 135-9.

The $3.38 million budget includes $475,507 for salaries, $1.32 million for expenses, $80,000 for capital outlay, $1.47 million for debt service, and $40,350 for an emergency reserve. The fund is supported through department receipts, retained earnings, and property taxes.

Article 8, authorizing operation of the Rubbish Enterprise Fund, passed 123-12. The $694,270 budget includes $70,080 for salaries and $624,190 for expenses and is funded through rubbish collection fees and department receipts rather than property taxes.

Residents also approved Article 9, 139-7, appropriating $50,000 from retained earnings in the Rubbish Enterprise Fund for maintenance of the town’s compost transfer station on Spring Road.

Voters also approved Article 10, 128-13, establishing FY27 spending limits for revolving funds, including $20,000 for the Council on Aging, $20,000 for the Cemetery, $10,000 for the Board of Appeals, and $20,000 for the Conservation Commission.

Several Community Preservation Act projects also received approval, including $45,000 for lighting installation at the Flash Road Recreation Area under Article 18A, which passed 71-43, and $40,000 for handicap accessibility improvements at Town Hall through Article 18B, which passed 103-9. Residents also approved ecological restoration funding for Bailey’s Hill and Lodge Park, as well as money for roof replacement work at Nahant Housing Authority properties on Emerald Road.

Additional CPA-related measures included $100,000 for Community Preservation Committee operating expenses and several debt service appropriations tied to Public Library, Town Hall, and Greenlawn Cemetery bond projects, all of which passed by wide margins.

Residents also approved Article 21, updating the town’s wireless communications zoning bylaw to align with current Federal Communications Commission regulations, 94-2, and Article 22, replacing references to “Board of Selectmen” with “Select Board” in town bylaws, 87-6.

Earlier in the meeting, voters approved Article 1, indefinitely postponing a measure related to FY26 transfers because there were no transfers to consider, 142-9. Article 2, concerning additional compensation and certification stipends for the town clerk, for a maximum of $1,000, passed 161-16, while Article 3, related to retroactive payment of the town clerk stipend, passed 161-11. Article 5, setting salaries for elected officials beginning July 1, passed 168-15.

Article 20, establishing one Town Meeting per calendar year, passed 78-12.

Not all measures passed. Article 17, which proposed establishing an Affordable Housing Trust, failed 60-88. Article 15, concerning public safety designer services, was indefinitely postponed by a 139-7 vote.

The meeting concluded with residents approving Article 26, the continuation of multiple town committees through June 30, 2027, by a vote of 83-4. The committees include the Community Preservation Committee, Harbor Advisory Committee, Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee, and several other advisory bodies.