Harwich Select Board Backs Eight Petition Articles, Approves Transfer Tax Opposition Letter

HARWICH — March 16, 2026 — Harwich's new Town Administrator Jay Grill took his seat for the first time Monday as the Select Board voted to support eight of 12 citizen petition articles headed to the annual town meeting and unanimously approved a letter opposing the proposed real estate transfer tax on property sales above $1 million. Grill announced a preliminary fiscal year 2027 school budget agreement with Monomoy Regional School District at a roughly five percent increase — about 3.28 percentage points below the district's original 8.28 percent ask — and reported 29 applicants for the open Assistant Town Administrator position, with finalist interviews planned for early April. The board voted unanimously to give 65 non-compliant board and committee members until April 13 to complete state ethics training, oath of office, and town email requirements or face termination from their appointments, with Town Clerk Emily Mitchell noting that some members have been out of compliance for both 2025 and 2026 despite repeated outreach. The board voted 4-1 to support a citizen petition restricting multifamily development by special permit in low-density residential districts and 4-1 to support a petition to designate scenic roads, while voting 0-5 against a fertilizer reduction bylaw and 1-4 against a tree removal oversight article; action on a Housing Trust bylaw amendment was continued one week at member Jeff Handler's request.