Residents at the Town Meeting in May 2025.
Reminder Publishing file photo
SOUTHWICK — The Select Board voted unanimously to approve the warrant for the Special Town Meeting that included an additional article related to health insurance for the town’s retirees.
It was Article 1 that essentially drove the need to have a Special Town Meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 13, after the Select Board were formally asked by town employees in September to hold one to adjust the percentage the town pays for employee health insurance.
Currently, the town pays 50% of the health insurance premium for each employee but with health insurance premiums skyrocketing there are some employees who received an annual cost of living raise but ended up bringing less money home after taxes and covering their portion of the premium.
Fire Department Prevention Officer Brian Schneider, who represented the town’s employees, said adjusting the split would “make it a more desirable place of employment for both new and existing employees.”
He also pointed out that the town has lost a few employees over the last year, in part, because of the unaffordable health insurance premium.
Article 1 will only ask residents to approve adjusting the split. The split will be negotiated by the town administration and its employees if the article passes, said Chief Administrative Officer Nicole Parker.
However, the town doesn’t have to explain in the article how it might be paid for.
Article 2, which has been added in the last two weeks, will ask residents at the Special Town Meeting to allow the town’s retired employees — with at least 10 years of service — to also have their 50/50 health insurance premium split adjusted.
“This authorization is the same exact thing except [it’s] for retirees. So, it’s very similar to Article 1, but it covers our retired employees,” said board member Douglas Moglin.
Article 3 will ask residents to approve of the town spending $220,000 to finish a public safety project to replace the town’s radio system.
If approved, the funds will be used to purchase microwave repeaters that will be installed on the four nodes used by public safety to broadcast and receive radio messages throughout the entire town.
Currently, the nodes are hardwired with copper cable, which is maintained by Verizon. The telecommunications company had alerted the town it will stop maintaining the lines in early 2027.
“So, this $220,000 to complete the system and get the new radio system up and going is something that we need to do and we need to go in front of Town Meeting to get that approval,” Moglin said.
At the board meeting, Finance Committee Chair Joseph Deedy said that since free cash had been certified — it is $4,527,287 — the funds needed for the radio system would be withdrawn from that.
Article 4 is a general bylaw amendment related to the employment of outside consultants used by the Planning Board to review applications. Developers who submit the application bear the cost of the review.
Article 5, which was requested by the Planning Board, will ask residents to support a temporary moratorium on any renewable energy systems, like a battery electric storage system or the construction of large-scale solar array fields.
