HADLEY — Voters approved all nine questions Tuesday in a special town election, a move that will raise property taxes and push forward projects such as a new senior center and fire substation.
Unofficial tallies show 1,122 of Hadley’s 4,023 registered voters cast ballots — a 28 percent voter turnout.
“For a special town election, it’s a very good count,” Town Clerk Jessica Spanknebel said by phone after polls closed at 8 p.m.
When the impacts of the measures — which required Proposition 2½ overrides — are added up individually, the increase on property taxes for an average Hadley home valued at $313,700 is more than $200 a year.
But town officials said that count is artificially high because homeowners will be off the hook for debts the town is soon to pay off. The net annual impact for an average Hadley home will be around a $95 increase, they said.
Voters interviewed outside Hopkins Academy who supported the funding said they did so because they believe Hadley’s property taxes are relatively low and the town needs the improvements.
“The old one is crumbling,” Seth Isman, 73, a finance manager, said of the town’s current senior center. He said the town’s current fire substation, which he said he has been in before, is “in itself a fire trap.”
“We don’t think the town wants anything fancy,” said Erika Hollister, a teacher who is married to Isman. “They just want things functioning properly.”
Another couple, Toni Lyn Morelli and Matt Pfannenstiel, both 37, said they voted in favor of all nine measures.
“Hadley has really low taxes already, so a little increase for the good of the community is worth paying for, especially since we plan on being here a while,” Pfannenstiel said.
Hadley’s tax rate at present is $11.15 per $1,000 of property value.
Numerous people outside Hopkins Academy Tuesday evening declined to be interviewed.
Others refused to say how they voted.
Andy Morris-Friedman, 56, who serves on the town’s Community Preservation Committee, was one of them.
He did say, however, that Hadley is already short on money — relying each year on so-called “free cash” among departments to balance the budget.
“There’s just not enough money to go around,” Morris-Friedman said.
He had an alternative perspective on arguments that because the town is set to pay off some debts, taxes won’t go up as much if the questions were approved.
“Without the new taxes, taxes would go down,” Morris-Friedman said.
The unofficial vote counts, by question:
• Question 1: $390,000 for EPA-required stormwater system upgrades. 712 yes; 389 no.
• Question 2: $90,000 for two police cruisers. 630 yes; 468 no.
• Question 3: $185,000 for new Department of Public Works equipment. 574 yes; 523 no.
• Question 4: $112,000 for new school information technology. 688 yes; 410 no.
• Question 5: $400,000 for elementary school HVAC. 600 yes; 501 no.
• Question 6: $45,000 for public safety complex HVAC. 627 yes; 472 no.
• Question 7: $121,000 for sub-surface dike survey. 621 yes; 472 no.
• Question 8: $2.9 million for new fire substation. 654 yes; 460 no.
• Question 9: $5.3 million for new senior center. 628 yes; 490 no.
Contact Jack Suntrup at jsuntrup@gazettenet.com.