Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect that voters at Town Meeting approved the entire $1.2 million capital budget, including items for the Police Department proposed to be cut at the meeting.
SOUTH HADLEY — After months of fiscal challenges that included the possibility of steep cuts to schools and town departments that didn’t materialize this year, residents at annual Town Meeting this week found at least one reason to clap.
Voters on Wednesday approved a $75,000 increase in funding for the library, money that will enable the library system to retain its state certification. The results drew applause from the crowd. Town Meeting also engaged in a lengthy discussion and ultimately decided against trimming the Police Department’s capital funding request for new firearms, tasers, one cruiser and computers.
The funds were part of an overall $61.4 million fiscal year 2027 budget that Town Meeting representatives approved by a vote of 101-6. The budget includes using $1.5 million in free cash for the school budget, staving off the elimination of administrative positions, high school staff, sports, extracurriculars, and music programs next fiscal year.
Town Meeting also approved an article to raise and appropriate $1.75 million for the General Stabilization Fund, contingent upon the passage of a Proposition 2½ override later this year. The money would be used to replenish the free cash being used for the school and library budgets.
The Select Board earlier this month opted to wait to float another override until Sept. 1, after voters rejected two overrides in the amount of $9 million and $11 million earlier this year. The new override, while not finalized, is being pegged at $3.5 million and would be used over the next few years.
The library vote, however, generated a lengthy discussion. The library system’s budget was $75,000 in the red, which would lead to decertification by the state.
Voters almost unanimously shared memories of going to the library when they were young; others voiced that the library was the only place to go when they did not have home internet, and the space offers free programming, education and entertainment for the community.
Various town officials have received upward of 60 emails on the subject of the South Hadley Public Library and Gaylord Memorial Library, which they said was representative of people’s intense concern about inadequate funding. David Solender-Clark, a recently elected library trustee, was among those who received a digital earful.
“I received 83 emails from town residents in the last seven days,” he said, adding that zero emails have come in calling for a decrease in library funding.
Solender-Clark began his public comment by outlining how heavily the library is used. Last year, the library welcomed 13,596 people to programs and events, its meeting rooms were used 1,546 times, and it processed 209,189 transactions overall — all increases from the previous year.
“The library is not a cost center. It’s an investment in our community with a guaranteed and measurable return,” he said.
Ira Brezinsky of the Capital Planning Committee also wanted to clarify a misconception surrounding where the extra $75,000 was coming from for the library. Some have said the funds were drawn from Ledges Golf Club’s retained earnings, but in reality the amount came from unanticipated funds located by the town.
After the discussion ended, resident Nate Therion motioned for the $75,000 boost for the library.
Police capital
Another article that generated discussion involved the Police Department’s capital budget, specifically $145,000 for a new cruiser ($70,000), firearms replacements of 33 units with optics ($45,000), upgrades to tasers ($21,000) and new computers ($9,000).
Adam Reid of Precinct A began the discussion by proposing an amendment to the overall capital budget from $1.2 million to $1,055,000 by striking funding for most of the Police Department items.
Reid, who said he represents a group of Town Meeting members and residents across multiple precincts, said it’s important for the town to think critically about the money it is spending, given the town is in a fiscal crisis. He said police should make due with what they have in the short-term while long-term financial situations are explored, noting that the amendment is a step to ensure the financial burden is being shared more equitably across all departments.
“In this extraordinarily difficult year I do not believe that now is the time to purchase new weapons, vehicles and computers for our police force,” Reid said. “These are not immediate needs.”
Other proponents of the cut cited a lack of need for a new cruiser due to the size of the current fleet (the department has 14 cruisers), a lack of need for new computers since the department purchases them annually, and a lack of need for new firearms given that nine years have passed since an officer has fired a weapon in town.
While she doesn’t want to see the Police Department’s budget reduced, resident Claire Jenson argued that striking the capital requests is a more equitable approach across town departments.
“I’d like to see a little more shared costs among our different town departments,” she said. “I’m concerned about the lack of safety net as we are facing multiple years of budget crisis and shortfall. Reducing the Police Department budget is not ideal, but it is more equitable and will help with the safety net for things more immediate in their daily lives.”
Many others disagreed, making the case that there is nothing more important than ensuring the police department is able to do its job. A few residents, including Philip Sanford of Precinct E, questioned whether the amendment was more about defunding the police than saving the town money.
“Our Police Department needs the tools to do the job they may have to do … they may have not fired in nine years but they still practice with them and they still get worn out,” Sanford said.
Voting member M.P. Chevrette said the need to fund the police is analogous to the message on a blood drive T-shirt he has which reads, “The rarest type of blood is the blood you don’t have when you need it.” He said the town doesn’t want to get into a situation where officers can’t come because they are understaffed, their vehicles are out of service, or tense situations escalate to a gunfight because they don’t have tasers.
“I thought we knew as a nation that (defund the police) doesn’t work,” he said. “We want to make a thousand little cuts to the other parts of the budget? This is not the time or place to do it.”
When asked to outline cuts the Police Department has made to its budget, Chief Jennifer Gundersen said that it is clear how important the schools are, since so many South Hadley graduates join the police force. She also said that old guns reduce accuracy by as much as 50%, the force’s tasers are so old that they can’t be fixed anymore, and that a new cruiser would replace a dated one.
The chief said the department is eliminating two officer positions next fiscal year, meaning the 27 officers on the force is the same number the town employed in 1996. Additionally, earlier this year the town opted to shut down its dispatch center and lay off five dispatchers.
A series of amendments were made during the discussion, one of which would have funded the purchase of new tasers but eliminated funds for the cruiser, firearms and computers.
In the end, however, the original capital budget in the amount of $1.2 million, including all of the capital requests for the Police Department, passed by a vote of 82-18.
The discussion of the police budget led some residents to question the legitimacy of other line items, including a new carpet for $50,000 for the second floor of the South Hadley Public Library and a $100,000 carpet for the high school library.
Town officials clarified that both library carpets are necessary, since the one in the high school is a health threat as it absorbs moisture. It is also a threat to the books in the room. Officials said the new rug would be a breathable material to ameliorate these conditions.
Meanwhile, the carpet on the second floor of the library is worn out, and neither line item was scrapped from the budget.
