Budget Task Force Co-Chair Nicholas Gingras gives a presentation and update to the residents at Special Town Meeting on Nov. 5.
Photo credit: SHCTV15
SOUTH HADLEY — South Hadley’s Budget Task Force is inviting residents to share their priorities for town services and spending during a listening session on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m.
Residents have the option of joining the session at the South Hadley Public Library at 2 Canal St. or over Zoom. The Zoom link is available at southhadley.org.
The task force wants to hear what matters most, which services are essential and how residents want their tax dollars used. Residents’ input will help guide the task force as it develops budget recommendations.
The Budget Task Force was created due to significant budget pressures that South Hadley has identified, including rising health insurance expenses, growing special education costs and slow new growth in property tax revenue, combined with flat or potentially declining state aid.
These trends have created a structural deficit, requiring the town to implement difficult reductions in services and staffing.
Budget Task Force Co-Chair Nicholas Gingras gave a presentation to the residents at Special Town Meeting on Nov. 5 and stated that projections saw that there will be a $3 million budget gap in fiscal year 2027, which will increase by about $2 million per year.
Even before the mid-year FY26 health insurance increases were known, the group was formed proactively to examine the town’s budget and identify sustainable goals.
The task force quickly began meeting regularly beginning in summer 2025, diving into both immediate budget needs and longer-term strategies to ensure fiscal stability, maintain essential services, and provide informed recommendations to the Selectboard and the community.
The Budget Task Force has actively been reviewing options, scheduling public listening sessions and developing recommendations to maintain essential services while addressing long-term fiscal sustainability.
Residents are encouraged to stay informed and engaged in the budget process by viewing their page on the town’s website.
All task force meetings are open to the public, and the past meetings are recorded and available to watch on South Hadley Community TV.
Town Administrator Lisa Wong, who also participates in the task force meetings, said there are up to six meetings per month between the two subcommittees and regular meetings. “There’s a lot of footage for folks to catch up on,” she said.
She explained that the Budget Task Force recently met with every town department to learn more about their respective budgets.
The Budget Task Force also plans to host another listening session on Jan. 22. Details are still to be determined.
Wong added that the task force is also discussing the possibility of making a community survey to gather more public input.
Once the task force has all of information and input they need, they will submit a report to the Selectboard by Feb. 10. The Selectboard will then decide how to move forward based on the recommendations.
“I think folks are wanting to look for answers, you know, what are they thinking? They’re still in the process of really deep information gathering and analysis,” Wong said. “I think the robust discussions will happen primarily in January, especially after the first listening session.”
Selectboard member Andrea Miles echoed Wong’s statement and said, “By the time the Budget Task Force puts out its report, it will have been well thought out. It is not just surface level at all between the number of people we have on the board or the kinds of questions that are being asked. I just want to assure people that it is the most thorough subcommittee I’ve ever been apart of.”
