WESTHAMPTON — Residents will vote on a $125,000 Proposition 2½ override at the annual Town Election this Saturday, that if passed, would help maintain services provided by the elementary school and Highway Department.
Polls will be open at Westhampton Town Hall from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Besides the override, there are a handful of candidates running unopposed for reelection on various boards and committees, including Susan Bronstein for the Select Board.
After voters shot down the town’s originally proposed $500,000 override by a slim 59-vote margin in April, officials went back to the drawing board to try and close a deficit heading into next fiscal year. The town whittled the deficit down to the $125,000 override by cutting an additional $250,000 in materials, resources and certain employee hours, coupled with using $125,000 in free cash.
If the override fails, the Highway Department would be reduced from four to three road workers, and Westhampton Elementary School would lose a music teacher, a custodian and funding for supplies and maintenance. The highway department position became vacant in March after a retirement.
The $125,000 override passed the first hurdle at annual Town Meeting last month, when voters approved a total budget for next year of approximately $7.6 million, including the town’s $1.6 million contribution to the Hampshire Regional School District. The $6 million municipal budget is contingent on the override passing.
While some residents expressed worry over rising property taxes at the meeting, others, like Julie Holt, supported the move.
“On all overrides in this town, I vote ‘yes’ because I know it [Westhampton] needs it. [Proposition] 2½ has had its time. It is not sufficient for towns to fund what they need to fund. I love paying my Westhampton taxes. I love this community,” Holt said.
The meeting was stopped after voters approved Article 7, to be continued later this month which officials said is required since changes may be needed to the budget, should the override fail. The continued annual Town Meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 22, and residents did not have to attend to first session to come to the second.
“We are going to have to continue Town Meeting because we just passed a budget contingent on an override,” Select Board member Milikowsky explained at the meeting. “We’ll know how much revenue we have at that point. If we don’t know how much revenue, how do we make decisions as to what to fund and what not to fund?”
There are four remaining articles on the continued warrant, one that would authorize the purchase of a new police vehicle if passed. The others would allow the town to fund Westhampton’s 250th birthday celebration that would be held in 2028, and the final two relate to financial decisions.
