Town Meeting members getting sworn in for the special and annual Town Meeting on May 14.
Photo credit: SHCTV15
SOUTH HADLEY — During the Special and Annual Town Meeting on May 14, Town Meeting members approved all 23 articles that were presented on the two separate warrants including a $58 million operating budget and over $3.5 million in capital items.
The Special Town Meeting featured three articles to transfer funds for snow and ice bills incurred in fiscal year 2025, pay for special education school transportation for FY25 and transfer funds from the FY19 and FY22 capital budgets.
The snow and ice allocation were for $190,000 and the special education transportation transfer is from free cash for $1.2 million.
The transfers from FY19 and FY22 were for a combined $510,000 and will be used for chrome books and trailhead kiosks.
The Selectboard approved the FY26 budget at its March 18 meeting, which was approximately $58 million, a 2.95% increase from the FY25 budget. At the time, Town Administrator Lisa Wong said that the budget will feature a loss of more than 27 positions, with around 20 coming from the School Department.
Town Meeting members approved Article 11, which allocated $1.5 million in capital funds for 12 different projects. Five of the projects are in the School Department, two for the Police Department three for the DPW, one for the library and one for cable TV.
Each allocation request is for an upgrade of old equipment, a new vehicle or maintenance to Titus Pond or the elevators and HVAC system at the schools.
Article 12 was approved and will transfer from WWTP enterprise fund receipts the sum of $233,000 to make purchases, repairs and replacements in the wastewater capital budget.
Those requests include a pickup with a plow vehicle, an inflow and infiltration study, a new gate, a water heater and underground tank removal and electrical repairs.
Article 13 includes transferring $180,000 from the Ledges Retained Earnings for capital purchases, repairs and replacements. The repairs include new clubhouse doors, kitchen appliances, paving, drainage, HVAC replacements and a river pump replacement.
The approval of Article 14 allows the Selectboard to establish a speed limit of 25 mph on any roadway inside a thickly settled or business district in the town on any way that is not a state highway.
Assistant Town Administrator and Human Resources Director Chuck Romboletti explained this does not change the speed limits on roads that are already posted in the black and white regulatory signs. The new 25 mph limit would apply only to streets that are not already posted with a speed limit.
Article 15 allows the town to establish the South Hadley Affordable Housing Trust, which would aim to provide for the preservation and creation of affordable housing in South Hadley for the benefit of low- and moderate-income households, to support efforts to improve housing affordability for town and to fund community housing, as defined in General Laws Chapter 44B.
Article 16 established an old firehouse museum local historic district. According to the warrant, the bylaw would help aid in the preservation and protection of the “distinctive characteristics” and architecture of buildings and places significant in the history of the town, the maintenance and improvement of their settings and the encouragement of new building designs compatible with existing architecture.
Article 17 was a zoning map change designation for the parcel of land located on the west side of Old Lyman Road from Business C to Residence A-1. The current parcel is split zoning and the owner is converting 1.6 acres to Residence A-1 for to build a five to six lot subdivision.
Article 18 was a zoning bylaw amendment that creates a district by interesting a new village district and mixed-use zoning district.
Article 19 was another zoning bylaw amendment that amends accessory dwelling units.
Article 20 approval adopts a welcoming community trust bylaw. The purpose of the ordinance is to affirm that the town is a welcoming community and to promote trust between community members and employees as well as facilitate effective law enforcement and public safety policies.
Article 1 allowed for the Selectboard Town Meeting report to be shared with the community, which included news and achievements over the past year as well as aspirations for the future.
Articles 2 through 9 were consent agenda items and were all approved.
