MARBLEHEAD — Months after Marblehead voters approved a $15 million operating override, the resident-created website that helped many residents better understand the town’s finances is continuing to grow.

Software engineer Andrew Baber launched Marblehead Budget Data (marbleheaddata.org) in the weeks leading up to the override vote as a way to better understand the town’s finances and cut through what he saw as increasingly emotional discussions surrounding the proposal. What began as a single webpage with one chart has since evolved into a growing online resource, and Baber said he hopes it can become a long-term civic tool that extends well beyond the override debate.

“I’m not building this for me,” Baber said. “I’d be so willing to build something that is (for) the town.”

Baber moved to Marblehead in 2017 and said he had largely stayed out of previous town debates until this year’s override discussion prompted him to take a closer look at the numbers.

As conversations unfolded on social media, Baber found himself wanting to verify claims with data rather than opinions. He began collecting publicly available financial information from state and town sources and creating charts to better visualize the town’s finances.

Initially, those charts were shared through screenshots on Facebook. Before long, he created a webpage where residents could view the information themselves. That single page steadily expanded into Marblehead Budget Data, a website featuring financial charts, explanations, and other information intended to help residents better understand municipal finances.

“I found it really difficult to have actual discussions that weren’t just emotional,” Baber said. “People would say stuff that felt like there were some facts behind it, but it was really hard to actually dig into those facts.”

Throughout his research, Baber said several findings surprised him, including trends in school enrollment and a clearer understanding of how an override functions.

“I fundamentally misunderstood what an override does,” he said. “I kind of had this impression that you do the override, and the problem is solved. That really isn’t the case.”

Instead, he came to view an override as providing additional time while longer-term financial challenges still need to be addressed.

Although the override vote has passed, Baber said he has no plans to stop working on the website.

Instead, he is expanding the project by organizing department information, tracking budget spending against appropriations, improving the site’s financial data, and continuing to summarize local government meetings for residents who may not have time to watch hours of public meetings. The website also offers email summaries of those meetings.

Baber said one of his goals is to make local government more accessible by helping residents quickly understand what happened during public meetings and where taxpayer dollars are being spent.

“A shocking amount of data” is already publicly available through the town and the state, he said, though much of it can be difficult for residents to find or interpret.

Looking ahead, Baber said he hopes the project eventually becomes more than a website maintained by one person.

Rather than retaining sole control, he said he would like to open the project to a small group of residents who could help guide its future development and ensure it serves the broader community.

“I would be happy to open that up,” Baber said, adding that he believes a collaborative approach would make the project stronger than having a single individual direct it.

Among the ideas he is exploring are tools that would allow residents to follow issues important to them, track proposals through the local government process, and better understand Town Meeting warrants before they come to a vote. He also envisions technology that could make civic participation easier while keeping residents informed throughout the year.

Baber acknowledged that because he publicly supported the override, some residents may view the website through that lens. He said his goal, however, has always been to present primary-source data rather than advocate for a particular position.

“I tried really hard to be extremely center of the road,” he said. “Here’s the data. Here are the facts. Make of it what you will.”

Ultimately, Baber said he hopes Marblehead Budget Data can continue serving residents long after the override debate has faded by making local government easier to understand and encouraging more informed civic participation.

“That’s the goal,” he said.