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Date: 6/30/2021
SOUTHAMPTON – During the Annual Town Election, Southampton residents voted 800-479 to not pass the town’s override budget of $718,466.51.
If passed, the city would have assessed the money amount in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding specific departments and accounts within the town’s operating budget, including but not limited to, the William Norris Elementary School Department, the town’s Police Department, Fire/EMS Department, the Highway Department etc.
The budget would have helped alleviate some of the school transportation and tuition costs that caused some stress throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The town wanted to pass the budget to improve roads, improve the library’s accreditation level, and improve technology by adding better web service and phone service.
According to Southampton Town Administrator Ed Gibson, the failure to pass the override will affect all departments in town. There are possibilities that there will be the elimination of new hires at William Norris Elementary School, as well as the elimination of originally planned increase in hours for existing staff to meet student needs. There is a possibility of a reduction of hours for some current staff, and an elimination of needed technology support, curriculum and classroom supplies.
The failure of the override budget passing may also affect Police Department staffing, maintaining ballistic vests, taser certification and support of mobile data terminals in cruisers. Fire/EMS departments may see their shift coverage affected, maintenance of fire vehicles and ambulances, as well as adequate purchase of medical supplies.
The Highway Department could see a possible reduction of roadwork such as paving and pothole patching, as well as a reduction in the replacement of equipment and the ability to maintain machinery that is needed to get the necessary work done.
The Edwards Public Library will most likely see a reduction in hours, and they will need to apply to the state for a waiver to receive a library grant for residents to acquire books and other materials from other libraries. Meanwhile, the Town Hall will be unable to maintain certain technology services to support all departments and provide timely information to residents.
“I am disappointed that it didn’t pass but I will say that I am not surprised as it was a large amount to ask for, and we were coming off the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Gibson. “The Select Board was originally trying to stay away from having to look at an Option for a Proposition 2-1/2 Override but when the local school had such an increase in their budget needs due to unforeseen required expenses it became necessary to ask for the override.”
The town also voted 677 to 592 to not allow Southampton to exempt itself from Proposition 2 ½ and acquire a possible debt exclusion of $261,000 to pay costs for the purchase of a single axle dump truck for the plow and sander body for the Highway Department. The town may have to lease one now, according to Gibson.
“I was disappointed and somewhat surprised that the Debt Exclusion for the purchase of the replacement dump truck did not pass,” said Gibson.
In a 650-618 vote, the town did vote to allow Southampton to be exempt from the provisions of Proposition 2 ½ to pay costs for the acquisition for the right-of-way and/or design for the town greenway bike and pedestrian path.
The next steps now, according to Gibson, are to start the legal process for acquiring the path. The town will also need to meet some approvals and requirements from several outside boards, and then legally close on the acquisition of the right of way. The town will then engage an engineering firm to begin the design process.
Two grants have already been given to Southampton for this project. One of them was $100,000 for the actual purchase and rights of the greenway railroad. The other was a $6 million grant to build the greenway.
As far as the Select Board votes went, Francine Tishman received the most votes for another two-year term, and Jon Lumbra was elected for a three-year term on the Select Board.