HADLEY — In a town that has never had to bring a Proposition 2½ tax-cap override before voters, officials are beginning the process of informing residents about what adopting a budget up to $2 million above available revenues would mean for their wallets, as well as what services would be lost if they reject the spending plan.
The initial override forum is set for Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Hadley Senior Center, 46 Middle St. That will be followed by three additional forums, all to be held at the Senior Center, on Aug. 7 at 7 p.m., Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. and Aug. 21 at 2 p.m.
Interim Town Administrator Michael Mason said each forum will likely include a presentation about the town’s financial situation and an opportunity for those in attendance to ask questions. Members of both the Select Board and Finance Committee are also expected to be in attendance to respond to inquiries.
The Select Board and Finance Committee recently gave guidance about the range of the override, suggesting they would support adding between $1.7 million and $2 million to the $22.76 million fiscal year 2026 operating budget approved by voters at annual Town Meeting in May. That extra money would go toward staving off staffing cuts, covering rising health insurance costs and providing some support for capital and maintenance needs.
If a $2 million override is brought forward and approved, a homeowner in a $450,000 home, which is just below the median value, would pay $684 more annually, increasing that tax bill to $5,917.50.
But the specific potential cuts in case of the override being rejected have not yet been identified.
Mason said he and Treasurer Linda Sanderson, as the town’s finance director, are preparing a secondary budget that would be used in case the override fails. Under this circumstance, there will need to be reductions across town, but those decisions would be made by the Select Board.
“What will likely happen is that the funding reductions will be made to each department and then we will meet with department heads on how and where to make these reductions,” Mason said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.