EASTHAMPTON — Mayor Salem Derby released a statement late last week about the city’s current financial deficit, reiterating what he said at a recent City Council meeting about the need for a Proposition 2½ override vote to help close an $7 million shortfall in fiscal 2027.
“I will be introducing a forthcoming Proposition 2½ override to prevent serious disruption to city services and to protect the quality of life we all share,” Derby said in the statement.
While his statement didn’t specify a specific amount for the override, Derby told the Gazette earlier this month that the city is looking at a request of $5.8 million.
Derby said since taking office, first as interim and then as official mayor in November, he has been closely monitoring developments at the state level and in municipalities across the commonwealth regarding budgetary concerns.
“I had believed we were well-positioned to weather this storm; however, within the past week, the full financial picture of the city has come into sharp focus,” Derby wrote. “Unfortunately, we now find ourselves in the same position as many other communities across the state, including our neighbors. This reality will require us to take difficult actions we had hoped to avoid.”
“To be clear, this is not the result of irresponsible spending. These are extraordinary circumstances that are largely beyond our local control,” he added.
To address this, Derby said there are a number of actions that will be taken while the city’s finance team is working overtime to assess the full scope of the challenge.
Derby has requested revised budgets from department heads to streamline operations. Two budgets will be proposed — one that makes targeted cuts to minimize impact to services, and one that reflects a worst-case scenario; a special task has been formed to focus on minimizing the impact on taxpayers while also limiting cuts to staff and services; and the council will hold a special meeting to address the situation.
The statement also says there is a June 1 deadline to approve contractual obligations with the schools.
“I recognize this may feel sudden, and I acknowledge that the timeline is tight,” Derby wrote. “This is not an easy ask, and I do not take it lightly. But Easthampton is known as ‘the little city with a big heart’, and for good reason. We are a resilient community, proud of our roots as a mill town. We have faced adversity before and prevailed by standing together. This is another moment for Easthampton to demonstrate who we are and what we stand for.”
$1 million lottery winner
EASTHAMPTON — Diane Seymour of Easthampton bagged a $1 million prize in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s “$4,000,000 In The Money,” game from a $10 instant scratch ticket.
In a statement, Seymour chose the annuity option on her prize and received the first of 20 annual payments of $50,000, amounting to $1 million, before taxes. She plans on putting the winnings toward retirement.
The winning ticket was bought at Cumberland Farms, at 130 College Highway, Southampton, and the store will receive a $10,000 bonus for its sale of the ticket.
Velis secures $200K for Southampton school budget
SOUTHAMPTON — Sen. John Velis has secured $200,000 in earmarked funds to be put toward Southampton’s Norris Elementary School, which saw significant cuts made after a failed override last year.
The funding comes as Southampton plans to propose an override to cover a $2.6 million budget deficit. At the same time, Velis remains on deployment with the Massachusetts National Guard.
The funding is part of the state Senate’s recently passed Fair Share Supplemental budget that “recognizes the serious fiscal challenges that Southampton, as well as other communities, are facing and aims to ease school budget concerns while enhancing educational opportunities for local students,” reads a statement from Velis’ office.
The package also contributes $100,000 to special education classrooms in
Easthampton schools, $100,000 to improve American Disability Act (ADA) accessibility at Holyoke’s Kelly Elementary School and an additional $350,000 to support local school budgets in the other five communities across the Hampden and Hampshire District as well.
“Throughout Senator Velis’s deployment with the Massachusetts National Guard, he has
continued to remain vigilant on all matters affecting the Hampden and Hampshire Senate district, including the notable budget concerns facing Southampton and other communities’ taxpayers in the upcoming year,” Velis’ office said in a statement.
The statement says that Velis’ and his office remain to being a “fierce
advocate” for Chapter 70 funding, rural school aid and other statewide educational funding “that most directly impacts local school budgets.
The funding comes as the senate begins to consider the the states budget for next fiscal year budget.
Easthampton a Housing Choice Community
EASTHAMPTON — The city has been designated by the state as a Housing Choice Community, which highlights cities and towns taking steps to support housing production while also offering grant opportunities.
Easthampton is one of 29 communities that were given the designation, announced last week by the Healey-Driscoll administration. The designation gives the city access to the state’s Housing Choice Grant Program, providing new grant opportunities to boost housing production.
There are a total of 92 communities with the designation in the state since it was created in 2018, 27 of which are included in the Small Town Housing Choice Communities, a sub-section of the designation which Easthampton is included in.
Along with Easthampton, the other five communities to receive the designation in western Massachusetts include Bernardston, Buckland, Deerfield, Gill and Great Barrington.
Designated communities also receive additional benefits through other participating state programs. Since the start of the initiative, Housing Choice Communities have produced 79% of all homes in Massachusetts, including more than 71% of homes built in the past five years.
