SOUTH HADLEY — Third time was not the charm as South Hadley voters once again voted against allowing the town to assess an additional $3.5 million in real estate and personal property taxes for its school and town budgets.
While most Western Mass. voters headed to the polls for statewide races, South Hadley residents also saw a question on their ballot asking if they would approve the $3.5 million tax override.
Results from the town clerk’s office showed that 3,799 residents were against the override while 2,367 residents were in favor.
The vote comes two months after the Selectboard voted 3-2 to ask the town to approve the override raised over three years. That decision by the Selectboard came three months after the town’s voters decided against $9 million and a $11 million overrides to save a bevy of city services.
With budget gaps still projected for the current and future fiscal years, the town and Selectboard tried to lower the tax override amount to something more agreeable.
Now five months after the initial vote, South Hadley residents were once again not in favor of voluntarily raising their taxes.
Town Administrator Lisa Wong said at a Selectboard meeting on Aug. 11 that a $3.5 million tax override would have stabilized the budget from fiscal year 2027 to fiscal year 2029. She explained that a FY28 budget with no override may force the town to use up to $2 million in reserves. She also said there might be a $1 million cut to the schools and a $500,000 cut to the town.
She also said that a successful override would increase the School Department budget by 3% in FY28 and FY29. Without an override, the schools would likely yield a $1.9 million deficit and be level-funded.
The presentation then illustrated what proposed/potential changes would look like with and without an override from FY27 to FY28. Wong acknowledged that they are early in the budget process and the projections can still change.
Most departments would either stay the same or lose a position without an override. The School Department was not included in Wong’s presentation.
In a comment to Reminder Publishing following the results, Wong said the override not passing is devastating for town services but added, “It’s completely understandable that residents are feeling the pressure of cost increases everywhere. Local government is one of the few areas where people can have a direct impact. I do hope that residents stay engaged. Without an override, services will be impacted. We want to work with residents to understand the impact and gather feedback.
Wong did not go into specifics since South Hadley is still a bit of time away in the budget process for FY28, but she did say, “We face many tough decisions ahead of us. Everything is on the table.”
Last year, South Hadley faced major cuts to its school staff, programs and town services.
Town Meeting representatives on May 13 approved Article 10 on the warrant, which was a recommendation from the Selectboard to approve $1.5 million in free cash for the school budget.
The additional free cash prevented the elimination of administrative positions, the reduction of high school staffing, and the elimination of sports, extracurriculars, and music programs in middle school and high school for the next fiscal year. The allocation leveled services and allowed them to make some strategic investments for FY27.
Looking ahead to the next budget cycle, Wong said, “Unfortunately, the cuts that have been proposed are all on the table.”
Wong also highlighted some measures the town is taking to help alleviate some cuts. She said they are working hard to create efficiencies such as saving over $1 million per year in school transportation and more than $250,000 per year in dispatch regionalization.
South Hadley has also received over $2 million in grants this summer for important projects that they couldn’t otherwise have afforded in the budget.
The town is also not filling some open positions, such as the senior center director, and instead adding those duties to existing staff members. Many union and non-union workers have agreed to no cost-of-living increases, according to Wong.
Future coverage of the failed tax override vote will be covered at thereminder.com.
