WHATELY — Special Town Meeting voters on Wednesday will consider hikes to health insurance costs, the purchase of a new ambulance and an amendment to the town zoning bylaw for battery energy storage systems.
The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Whately Town Offices at 4 Sandy Lane.
Article 1 asks voters to consider the transfer of $234 from free cash to pay Deerfield-based construction materials company Trew Stone LLC for unpaid bills. According to Town Administrator Peter Kane, the $234 will pay off material “as part of standard maintenance” the Highway Department performed.
Article 2 refers to the transfer of $30,000 from free cash to the Reserve Fund “in preparation for winter maintenance,” Kane said during the Selectboard meeting on Oct. 22, noting that town counsel recommended that the warrant not specify the exact purpose of the funds.
Article 3 covers the 20% hike in health insurance costs, which came after the town had already budgeted for an initial 18% increase for health insurance heading into fiscal year 2026.
Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust member towns and schools, including the town of Whately, must address the 20% bump, which took effect Oct. 1, following the trust’s July 30 vote to increase rates. Members of the trust reached this decision after being informed that the organization was at risk of going bankrupt due to increased pharmaceutical and medical claims, and the growing popularity of weight-loss drugs.
To pay for this increase, the town will vote on whether to transfer $111,000 from free cash to fund the costs of coverage for town employees through the rest of the fiscal year.
Article 4 asks residents to vote on approving the use of about $400,000 from the South County Emergency Management Services’ retained earnings to purchase a non-customized ambulance for $325,000 and two Stryker Power-LOAD loading systems for the new ambulance and a customized ambulance already on order.
For Article 5, residents will vote on whether to allow town trust funds to be managed in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 203C. According to the warrant, voting in favor of the article will allow the town to invest its trust funds under the Prudent Investor Rule. The change would create “much greater investment diversification opportunities than what is currently allowed under the so-called Massachusetts Legal List of Investments” and reduce the concentration of risk, the warrant reads.
The article arose as a recommendation from the town’s treasurer and collector “as a way to see better returns on our fund investments,” Kane clarified in an email on Wednesday.
Article 6 proposes amending the town’s zoning bylaw for battery energy storage systems’ permissibility within the Aquifier Protection District with two additions. The first proposed addition prohibits battery energy storage systems with an aggregate energy storage capacity more than 300 kilowatt-hours in the district.
“This will not prevent anybody from putting a battery in their home,” Selectboard Chair Joyce Palmer-Fortune clarified at the Selectboard meeting. According to CNET.com, the average home solar battery has an energy storage capacity of 10 to 15 kilowatt-hours, while the average capacity for commercial installations falls around 200 kilowatt-hours, reads CleanEnergyGroup.org.
According to Kane, the Energy Storage Systems Study Committee and Planning Board settled on 300 kilowatt-hours after researching other bylaws, ordinances and building code requirements. If passed, the article will prevent large-scale battery energy storaage systems in the Aquifier Protection District in order to protect the town’s water supply from negative environmental impacts if the system fails, according to the warrant.
The second proposed amendment adds definitions for “Aggregate Energy Storage Capacity,” “Battery Energy Storage System” and “Kilowatt-Hour.”