SOUTHAMPTON — Town services will be “dramatically” reduced next year should residents reject a Proposition 2½ override at Tuesday’s annual Town Meeting, according to Town Administrator Ed Gibson.
The Town Meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the William E. Norris School, two or three weeks earlier this year than usual.
Gibson said the biggest issue to be discussed at the meeting is the proposed $493,163.41 override.
He said that Proposition 2½ overrides are very difficult to get passed in Southampton, but this time the reduction in services that would result if the override is not passed would be dramatic. Gibson said the town is not treating the override like it’s business as usual, and is instead looking at it as a critical, one-time action needed to address decreasing funding from the state.
When the town first looked at the state budget in January, Gibson said, there was a deficit of nearly $800,000. He said the town worked hard to pare down the override request, and didn’t approve any new positions, add any hours or increase pay for town employees.
“We looked in every corner we could to get that number from $800,000 to the $493,163.41 that we are requesting,” Gibson said. “At this point in time, if the override doesn’t pass, some would say there will be a dramatic change in the type of services that the residents and businesses of Southampton have come to expect.”
Gibson said there would be a roughly $245,000 reduction to William E. Norris Elementary School, which would result in the elimination of six and a half jobs.
Failure to pass the override would also eliminate the second and third shifts of ambulance services, Gibson said, which were only approved in January. He said this would likely cause the town to lose its advanced level EMS license, which allows the town to provide paramedic level service to residents, including providing incubations and the administration of certain types of drugs which the town is not allowed to provide under a basic level license.
Gibson said he’s also concerned that response times to people who need assistance could be slower.
He said the town would also need to eliminate one full-time police officer, which would result in reduced patrols and residence checks, and would need to eliminate nearly two full-time positions in the Highway Department. Gibson said this could lead to slower response times for paving potholes, clearing downed trees, and directing athletic events and could increase wait times for snow and ice removal on town roads.
Additionally, the town library would need to close one day a week on Mondays, and administrative assistant positions in Town Hall would need to be reduced by five hours a week, Gibson said.
For voters, Gibson said the override request would result in an additional 72 cents of tax per $1,000 of property evaluation over and above the 2½ increase to the levy allowed each year. He said the average house in Southampton is evaluated at around $275,000, meaning the override would cost $198.
When it comes to cost, however, Gibson said voters should consider the cuts in services they may experience if the override is not passed.
The 2018 Annual Town Meeting Warrant, posted on the town’s website and at least five venues in Southampton, lays out other items to be discussed.
Among the administrative considerations are two proposals to make the town treasure/collector and town clerk appointed positions, rather than elected positions. The treasurer/collector position is up for election on May 15.
Voters will also be asked to decide on a mandatory recycling bylaw that would require town residents to separate recyclable and compostable yard waste from non-recyclable trash and would charge the city’s waste disposal services with providing receptacles to collect recycling. Gibson said the bylaw would make the town eligible for increased grant funding for trash and recycling at Southampton’s waste transfer station.
There’s also a proposal to transfer $675,000 from surcharges in the Community Preservation Fund to the Park Commission to fund phases two through four of the Labrie Field improvement plan, which Gibson said may garner some interest and conversation on the Town Meeting floor.
The meeting will be held in the cafeteria/gymnasium of the William E. Norris School at 34 Pomeroy Meadow Road.
The annual Town Election will be held two weeks later on May 15, and absentee ballots are available in the Town Clerk’s office until noon on May 14 for voters who will be out of town on May 15, have a disability or have a religious belief which prevents voting during the hours the polls are open or on Election Day.
M.J. Tidwell can be reached at mjtidwell@gazettenet.com.