Remembering the Rockmere

The Marblehead Current is proud to partner with photographer and historian Dan Dixey, who regularly shares photos of Marblehead from his extensive collection, along with information about each shot.

“This is a view of the Rockmere Hotel from Crocker Park in 1906," Dixey said. "The hotel had over 100 rooms and was located where Glover Landing is today. This photo is from the original Fred Litchman glass negative.” its annual budget.

“Marblehead’s budget is dependent on free cash, which ought to be zero,” said Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer. “We’re relying on free cash to be 10% of the operating budget.” Overall, Kezer has said the town anticipates capturing an estimated $105.2 million in revenue to fund services in FY 2024, an increase of $1.3 million from FY 2023. Coming up with a figure representing expenditures is more challenging but underway, with Kezer and the Finance Department trying to nail that down.

In FY 2024, the town estimates free cash to come in at $8.5 million, a $1.6 million decrease over the $10.6 million used to balance the FY 2023 budget.

“We’ve hit a free cash wall because we don’t have enough to cover the difference between revenue and expenditures,”said Select Board Chair Moses Grader.

Grader said the town is assembling a no-override FY 2024 budget where revenue matches expenditures. State law mandates towns to pass a balanced budget, and this no-override exercise will help Marblehead pinpoint its structural deficit by identifying the cuts that would be needed to