Members of the Budget Task Force host a listening session on Dec. 8.
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 Jan. 15 at 1 p.m. and another listening session on Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.
Residents have the option of joining the session at the South Hadley Senior Center at 45 Dayton St. or over Zoom. The Zoom link is available at southhadley.org.
Town Administrator Lisa Wong said that over 60 residents attended the first listening session in December.
Selectboard member Andrea Miles, who serves on the Budget Task Force, talked about the first listening session and stated, “There were both really great questions asked and people shared concerns from the library to the schools. People really brought forth what was really important to them in the town.”
Besides hosting the two listening sessions, the task force has also made a survey that is available online at the town’s website or in public buildings in South Hadley, including the Senior Center, the South Hadley Public Library and the town clerk’s office.
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 will review initial findings and recommendations from their work over the past six months. 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.
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 there will likely be a $3 million budget gap in fiscal year 2027, a number expected to increase by about $2 million per year.
Even before the mid-year FY26 health insurance increases were known, the group formed proactively to examine the town’s budget and identify sustainable goals.
The task force quickly began meeting regularly in the summer, 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 reviewed options, scheduled public listening sessions and developed recommendations to maintain essential services and address 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 past meetings are recorded and available to watch on South Hadley Community TV.
