HADLEY — Two Proposition 2½ tax-cap overrides, with the larger for $1.5 million to preserve existing staff and programs across town and schools and restore three firefighter positions, received significant support at annual Town Meeting Thursday.
With close to 500 voters filling the Hopkins Academy gymnasium, both an $850,000 override and a supplemental $650,000 override easily passed, along with the base $22.37 million municipal budget, which was approved in a unanimous vote.
The two overrides will go to a ballot vote on June 2 as the second part of a two-step process.
There was less debate on the overrides than on two Planning Board articles that were also adopted, with voters agreeing to scrap the 75,000-square-foot cap on retail buildings and to give the elected board more discretion on requiring screening for large-scale solar projects.
Like last September, the session attracted many residents, but the outcome was much different. At that time, a $2.3 million override failed, causing firefighting positions to be eliminated and the human resources department to be closed.
With the operating budget already not meeting departmental requests, both the Select Board and Finance Committee endorsed the $850,000 override, which passed 470-22 with no discussion and applause following the vote. That will direct $590,000 to the schools, $210,000 to the Fire Department and $50,000 to the Police Department.
The larger override, with an additional $650,000, brought some skepticism, but Select Board member Jane Nevinsmith, at her last Town Meeting as a board member, said this keeps the current spending intact.
“It doesn’t add new positions, it maintains the positions that we have,” Nevinsmith said, adding that support also shows that Hadley is a community and people, including those working at Town Hall, the Hadley Library and the Senior Center, will not be laid off or lose hours.
That supplemental money puts another $130,000 toward schools and an additional $75,000 for a third Fire Department position, as well as $125,000 for the Highway Department and staves off 7.5 cuts.
Dylan Barstow-Manz of Hockanum Road said he worried that not supporting this would cost the town money in the long run. “My concern is that if we start to cut positions that are going to protect or bring in income, we might see a spiral that makes the situation worse,” Barstow-Manz said.
Brenda Fydenkevez of Rocky Hill Road said voters need to show their support for both the schools and the Fire Department.
“We just want to make sure that we take care of the Fire Department as we did the Police Department, it just seemed the Fire Department was really shorted the last time around,” Fydenkevez said
When one resident broached the idea of splitting the tax rate, and putting more burden on commercial, that turned into one of the most contentious points of the evening.
Todd Glazier of Stockwell Road said that in-depth data, compiled by residents, shows residential taxpayers are continuing to absorb more of the tax burden, while big box stores are paying less.
“Something is wrong with that, and I want an answer, (but) whatever the answer is is unacceptable,” Glazier said. “I believe a private analysis from non-town employees than what I believe from the town. Right there something’s wrong.”
Select Board Chairman Randy Izer responded by saying he was offended by this contention, and that it is not possible huge commercial buildings are paying less than homeowners. “That’s a sad state affairs, basically what you’re saying is we’re up here telling you people not the truth,” Izer said.
The Finance Committee estimated that the $1.5 million override will add $486 per year to the $450,000 home, on top of the regular increase allowed under the Proposition 2½ tax-cap law.
The larger override passed 431-63.
Still, Andy Morris-Friedman of Roosevelt Street cautioned that Town Meeting has often approved Proposition 2½ debt-exclusion overrides, mostly for capital projects, only to see these fail when it gets on a ballot and urged people to talk to their neighbors. “If you don’t pay anything, you don’t get anything,” Morris-Friedman said.
Retail building size cap lifted
In an effort to enhance the tax base, voters rescinded the compatible building size bylaw adopted in 2006.
Select Board member David J. Fill II said commercial growth can help pay for things in town, and two hurdles to increasing tax base are zoning changes and the size cap on retail stores.
“This eliminates one of those two hurdles, so that way we can get someone who might be interested to come in front of Town Meeting for some kind of project,” Fill said.
Barstow-Manz said residents need to consider growth as an opportunity to expand the tax base.
But Shel Horowitz of Barstow Lane recalled the cap was put in when Home Depot and Lowe’s were in the planing stages, and people not wanting to live in a community with a West Springfield-style Riverdale Street, a Chicopee-style Memorial Drive or a Framingham-like Route 9. He advocated for keeping the protection in place to ensure out-of-scale projects don’t happen.
Morris-Friedman noted the concerns over a Super Walmart.
“We have a reasonable amount of growth,” Morris-Friedman said, fearing commercial corridors with massive empty buildings and dead malls. “Please keep these sensible limits to growth in place.”
The article to rescind passed by two-thirds after Moderator Kirk Whatley determined that just 37 residents voted against it. About 180 voters cast ballots.
Solar regulations
Voters also approved, by a narrower 124-56 vote, giving the Planning Board discretion in requiring screening for solar projects.
Susan Delmolino of River Drive said she had to file an appeal in Land Court when a project near her home wasn’t properly screened.
“Screening was an issue, serious flooding runoff was an issue,” Delmolino said. She said the Planning Board disregarded the need to screen.
Planning Board members said the discretion is important with the rise of agrivoltaics, as have been done by Joe Czajkowski of Shattuck Road.
Czakowski said that screening can interfere with equipment to harvest crops and the supplying of green power for 35 homes.
“It does a lot of good and it also contributes a lot to the town’s taxes,” Czajkowski said. “In the book ‘Atlas Shrugged,’ Ayn Rand says that when people who don’t produce anything start telling the people who produce everything they can’t do it, we’re going to be hungry.”
Voters, though, rejected the Select Board proposal to revoke the authorization of the state’s strong fire chief statute. Fire Chief Mike Spanknebel, who will be retiring at some point in the near future, said that not giving the next fire chief hiring and oversight would reduce the pool of candidates to “near zero.”
The meeting began promptly at 7 p.m., called to order by Whatley, even as some residents were still checking in. Some voters were in other parts of the building, including an area where childcare was offered.
Whatley also welcomed incoming Town Administrator Nate Malloy, who was present to greet voters next to a table where the warrant and budget handouts were being disseminated.
Three presentations were related to the annual town report, though unlike most years hard copies of that publication were not available as part of the budget cuts.
Town report dedications
The report was dedicated to two individuals.
One is the late John C. Waskiewicz II, a three-term Select Board member, and Hadley Department of Public Works employee, who died last fall. Known as the “Junkman,” Waskiewicz was cited for his community service and generosity to organizations like the Young Men’s Club, the Hadley Mothers Club and the Boy Scouts.
The other dedication went to Joan Zuzgo, the former assistant treasurer and accountant who in recent years was the payroll benefits administrator. Zuzgo, who was present to accept the award, was credited with hard work, humility and compassion.
Finally, the W. Fred Oakley Award for volunteerism was given to Edwin Matuszko, a Hadley native and longtime farmer known for his “unwavering commitment to civic life.” Matuszko has been a regular presence at Town Meetings and regularly asked insightful questions, and was passed the microphone so he could continue this tradition.
