SOUTH HADLEY — A tough budgeting season will come to a close on Wednesday night when Town Meeting votes on a $61 million fiscal year 2027 budget and a supplementary budget contingent on a September Proposition 2½ override vote.
Town Meeting begins at 6 p.m. in South Hadley High School auditorium. In addition to the operating budget, Town Meeting members will also contemplate capital expenditures, a citizen petition to allow non-Town Meeting members to speak at Town Meetings and bylaw changes to signage and floodplain regulations.
Financial articles
The budget headed to Town Meeting members includes $1.5 million to level-service fund South Hadley Public Schools, but includes cuts to various other town departments. The Police Department and Department of Public Works will lose two staff members, the library will lose state certification, and the Senior Center has already lost its social services coordinator.
The $9 million and $11 million Proposition 2½ overrides to fund the operating budget for four and five years, respectively, failed at the ballot box in April. The resulting deficit has been padded with free cash for the next fiscal year.
However, if a smaller override amount passes in September, then $1.75 million can be raised in fiscal year 2027 to replenish reserves. Town Meeting will consider this contingency now, as it’s the only time the legislative body will meet before the vote.
South Hadley currently has $4.8 million in free cash, but allocations at Town Meeting will dwindle the reserves to just over $900,000. Besides the operating budget, $1.2 million will fund 18 different capital items. Some of the biggest ticket items on the list include two new vehicles for DPW, roof renovations at the high school and carpet replacements in the high school.
During an April 21 Quad Board meeting, several residents requested that some capital items, like mini splits in Town Hall and weapons for the Police Department, be postponed to focus on operating budget funding. Jacqueline Duprey called some of the expenditures “excessive.” While he understands fiscal responsibility, Charles Miles reasoned that someone in financial trouble would not pay $100,000 for new flooring or $66,000 in new police weapons.
“I’m certainly not going to buy a gun when I’m unemployed unless I’m planning to rob a bank,” he said.
Zoning bylaws, citizen petition
The Planning Board has recommended a zoning bylaw change to the floodplains overlay district based on updated regulations from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. According to the board’s information packet on the motion, FEMA updated its model bylaw for municipalities in 2020 and began updating its flood maps nationwide.
The updated bylaw adds new definitions, outlines data reporting expectations and designates the building commissioner as the official floodplain administrator. New construction will also require the proper permits, and developments bigger than 5 acres or 50 parcels need to calculate a base flood elevation. Vehicles in some areas along the floodplain must be anchored and elevated.
The Planning Board wanted to wait on updating the bylaw until the new map was finalized, the document said, but process has been delayed a few years. Therefore, the new bylaw applies to the 100-year floodplain delineated in 1979. The floodplain district includes the Connecticut River, Buttery Brook (to Gaylord Street), Stoney Brook, Bachelor Brook, Elmer Brook and Dry Brook.
South Hadley’s current sign bylaw dictates content of signage, which the United States Supreme Court ruled as unconstitutional by in “Reed v. Town of Gilbert.” Municipal regulations on signs must be content neutral to abide by the First Amendment, the Planning Board report explains.
As a result, Town Meeting will vote to replace the signage bylaw with a constitutional one. The new bylaw focuses on location, size, lighting, electronic verses fixed messages and placement of signs in residential and business districts. Temporary signs, like lawn signs under 6 square feet, are exempt from regulations. The full bylaw can be found on the South Hadley website on the Town Meeting page.
Finally, a citizen petition will change Town Meeting regulations to allow South Hadley residents to comment at Town Meeting. As of now, Town Meeting must vote to allow other South Hadley residents to comment on motions, or a resident must approach the town moderator about speaking beforehand. This change would allow non-Town Meeting members to speak without the extra step.
