EASTHAMPTON — At its Nov. 6 meeting, the Easthampton City Council approved a supplemental appropriation of $346,583 to purchase a new truck for the highway department. The new vehicle will replace a model year 2000 truck that was retired last year due to safety and mechanical issues and was mainly used for plowing on Holyoke Street and Mountain Road.
Councilor Thomas Peake, chair of the finance subcommittee, said that the truck had a good run of 23 years and that it was long past time to replace it.
Greg Nuttelman, director of the DPW, added that the truck had rust issues that exceeded what could be fixed. He noted that trucks now receive a coating that keeps rust from sand and salt at bay, but those products were unavailable in the early 2000s when this truck was purchased. He also expressed recognition that the price of trucks now is quite high, up significantly from the approximately $100,000 cost for the old truck.
In other motions, the council approved a set definition for the term surveyor in its bylaws and removed time restrictions for political and election signs in the city. A resident had brought the matter of the term surveyor not being defined to the council and the council agreed that the term should have a set definition. Council President Homar Gomez noted that the American Civil Liberties Union brought forward the idea that placing restrictions on political signs violated the First Amendment of freedom of speech. Ultimately, the council agreed with them.
Peake also asked to set public hearings for two items that had been in front of the finance subcommittee. The first, raising some city salaries, will have its public hearing on Dec. 4 at 6:15 p.m. The second, a discussion on tax classifications, will have its public hearing on Nov. 20 at 6:15 p.m.
At the start of the meeting, two councilors and the mayor’s executive assistant offered Gomez their congratulations on being elected to the position of state representative in the Nov. 5 election.
Councilor Brad Riley said that although the two had had their differences “I’m a better councilor for your leadership.”
Councilor Koni Denham lauded Gomez’s “considerable amount of integrity,” especially through discrimination “in this chamber” that Denham said he had faced.
During his comments, Riley also expressed concern that the state legislature would push back against the passing of question 1 on the ballot which would allow the state auditor to audit the state legislature. He hoped that the attorney general would respect the wishes of the 72% of voters who approved the question.
“When the public is speaking, you need to listen to them,” said Riley.
