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Date: 5/3/2022
SOUTH HADLEY – In a meeting of the Appropriations Committee, a public hearing was conducted at which community members were welcomed to ask questions on this year’s Town Meeting draft warrant.
The meeting was led by Town Administrator Lisa Wong as she presented the warrant and took questions from members on the committee and the public.
Wong opened with going over an article on the warrant that would approve the operating budget for fiscal year 2023 (FY23). The proposed budget to be approved at Town Meeting to provide services to the community sits at $51.8 million. It is a $2.4 million increase in budget from the last fiscal year.
Notable costs within this budget come from a $500,000 increase in costs for retirement and health insurance, $200,000 to increase general government including the addition of an assistant town clerk position and $200,000 to the Mosier School stabilization fund. State aid has increased over $1 million as well as the town’s tax levy.
One article listed on the warrant is the transfer of $1.7 million from free cash to make a number of capital purchases, repairs and replacements, the most expensive of which comes for the High School drainage and HVAC repairs that total $676,000.
Other allocations of the $1.6 million are going toward repairs on different town buildings including a $90,000 Police Department roof repairing, $132,000 for Police HVAC, $68,500 for a Department of Public Works (DPW) plow and $100,000 for a document preservation and digital data system to preserve old town documents.
Within the same article is $65,000 worth of funding for the Queensville Dam Removal. Wong said this figure is to match the grant they are currently awaiting on to preserve and remove part of the Queensville Dam. The Queensville Dam is located within the Titus Pond Conservation area.
Another noteworthy item on the warrant is Article 17, the establishment of a human rights commission. This formation of this commission is to improve the life of the town by enlisting community-based groups in educational programs and campaigns to increase mutual respect, harmonious intergroup relations and the peaceful enjoyment of life in the community.
The commission would work with town government, the school department, town commissions and boards to increase diversity, as well as awareness and sensitivity to human and civil rights issues. This commission would consist of nine members who are residents of the town for staggered three-year terms.
The last item of note on the warrant is Article 18, which looks to see if the town will vote to amend the town’s general bylaws by inserting a new chapter to allow mobile food truck vendors.
“The purpose of this is to allow and efficiently regulate the use of mobile food. We had to put a bylaw in place as we did not have one previously and had to turn people away,” Wong said. “We want to encourage food trucks. We want to make sure this is something welcoming and something to look forward to.”
Another goal from this is to allow food access to areas typically underserved by dining options in town. The new chapter within the bylaw will encourage and provide guidance for food trucks, food trailers and food carts to operate in public rights of way, private commercial properties and vending or catering for events on private residential properties.
To review the entire 2022 Town Meeting draft warrant, interested parties can visit southhadley.org and find the FY23 Draft Warrant under Budget and Town Meeting documents.