SOUTHAMPTON — Town Meeting voters will be asked to approve a major land acquisition that officials envision would one day be home to a new public safety complex. Voters will also consider a $21 million operating budget when they convene on Tuesday.

A second land acquisition which appears on the meeting warrant that officials had considered for a new senior center will be passed over during the meeting, due to a recent decision to look for land which will better accommodate the town’s needs.

The proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 presents a 0.29% decrease in spending over last year, with only slight differences from last year’s budget. These include added hours for the town’s veterans services officer and custodial staff, and the salary for the Council on Aging being moved from state grant funding to the general fund, with plans to use the remaining grant funding for senior services. Dispatch communications wages have been decreased in the budget to reflect a grant received from Southampton’s partnership with Easthampton’s dispatch center.

Town Administrator Scott Szczebak, who will be attending his first Town Meeting, said that he is “hoping to update the [budget] process and make it more transparent for next year.”

Land acquisitions

The two land acquisition articles on this year’s warrant include proposals to buy a 7.24-acre site at 89 Clark St. for the construction of a new senior center using funds donated by the estate of David Parsons for this purpose. This article is expected to be passed over at Town Meeting because the site is likely too small.

“It just doesn’t look like [89 Clark St.] can accommodate the needs of the senior center,” said Szczebak. “We’re going be passing over that article to evaluate other available sites.”

The second acquisition proposal will ask voters to approve spending $2.2 million to buy 52 acres off College Highway, which the town hopes to use for the construction of a new public safety complex to house the police and fire departments. The town’s current public safety building is “over 150 years old, and experiencing problems with flooding, heating, and even doors that won’t open or close properly,” said Szczebak.

Only a portion of the acreage will be needed for the new public safety complex. The remaining land may be used for projects ranging from sports fields to affordable housing, according to Szczebak.

The vote regarding this acquisition will move to the ballot box if approved at Town Meeting. The town election is scheduled for May 21. Should voters approve the acquisition, planning will begin for the complex’s funding and architecture, as well as for potential uses of the remaining land.

Other articles

Voters will also consider several bylaws: a noise nuisance bylaw, a bylaw creating a Registrar’s office in keeping with state guidelines, and updates to the language of an existing bylaw regarding the keeping of unregistered vehicles. The noise nuisances bylaw is a direct result of public comments and meetings regarding concerns about excessive traffic noise from Route 10.

“We spent a long time finding the correct language for [this bylaw]. We didn’t want to get into decibels and complicate it,” said Select Board Chair Christine Fowles. “It needs to be easily understandable and not create a need for special equipment to measure [noise].”

Finally, the Community Preservation Association (CPA) is presenting several articles for consideration. The first requests the appropriation of special land preservation funding, which would allow the committee to limit land usage for conservation or historical preservation. Another similar article would add acreage to an existing preserve site on Former Road.

“It’s really amazing how much the CPA and Kestrel [Land Trust] have been able to preserve through their efforts,” said Szczebak.

The CPA has also requested a funding transfer to restore the iron fence outside of Southampton’s historic Center Cemetery, which has deteriorated due to “age and accidents,” according to Szczebak, and another transfer for further development of the Greenway rail trail. This Greenway development would connect the Easthampton portion of the bicycle and pedestrian trail to the portion located in Westfield.

The town meeting will take place at Norris Elementary School at 7 p.m.

Alexa Lewis can be contacted at alewis@gazettenet.com.