Hanson Select Board approves grant-funded mental health clinician sharing deal

HANSON — March 3, 2026 — Hanson Select Board unanimously backs grant-funded mental health clinician program and Inspector General school audit request. The board voted Tuesday to enter an intermunicipal agreement — at no cost to Hanson, funded through the state Department of Mental Health — placing two clinicians hired by the Kingston Police Department on seven-day rotating coverage for five municipalities including Hanson, with road response beginning March 16; Police Chief Joseph Casey and Lieutenant Alicia Durga said roughly 40 percent of department calls carry some mental health component, with officers responding to one patient 11 times in a single week in January. In a separate unanimous vote, the board agreed to draft a joint letter requesting the state Inspector General forensically examine Whitman-Hanson Regional School District finances, contingent on the School Committee voting in favor at its March 4 meeting. Whitman-Hanson School Committee Chair Ryan Trestle and Acting Superintendent Dr. John Marcus appeared in person to explain that last fall's midyear staff cuts — which became a statewide news story — stemmed from approved budget reductions that were never fully implemented, leaving a payroll deficit discovered only after a new business management firm arrived. The board also appointed Terrence O'Keefe as interim Veterans Service Officer through June 30, approved a liquor-hours expansion for Southern Eats LLC effective March 5, and authorized a postcard mailer of up to $1,800 to alert residents to the Smart 911 transition.