Busy ballot faces South Hadley voters

SOUTH HADLEY — A $9 million and $11 million Proposition 2½ override, a Select Board race and a nonbinding question on the $36.5 million South Hadley Electric Lighting Department headquarters populate a packed ballot for South Hadley’s annual town election on Tuesday.

The votes are a nine-month culmination of public presentations and deliberation between the neighbors, the disbanded Budget Task Force, the Municipal Light Board and Select Board members. The outcome of the elections will determine the financial future of South Hadley and the residents who call it home, as well as who will lead the town out of the current structural deficit.

Polls at South Hadley High School open for all precincts at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Proposition 2½ override

The first whispers of a Proposition 2½ override vote began last spring, but the proposal become more concrete when the Budget Task Force announced a $3.5 million deficit for fiscal year 2027. The structural deficit, projected to grow by $2 million each year, would result in severe cuts to school and town services, from reduced Senior Center hours to loss of public funding for school sports.

Based on the recommendations in the Budget Task Force final report, the Select Board approved the two override questions: $9 million raised over the next four years and $11 million raised over five years. The side in favor of the overrides see them as a necessary cash-infusion to preserve the community, while those opposed feel the size of the override would harm community members grappling with tight personal budgets.

Voters can chose to support one, both or neither override questions. Each question only needs 50% “yes” votes to pass. If both pass, the larger of the two amounts will be added to the tax levy on July 1.

Based on a tax override calculator on South Hadley’s town website, the average single-family home valued at $417,000 would pay an additional $1,443 in property taxes with a $9 million override, or $1,764 with an $11 million override by fiscal year 2031. This calculation does not include the annual 2.5% tax increase communities can automatically adopt, nor does it break down the incremental increases seen each year.

Municipal leadership

After two years of mostly unopposed races, a four-way race for two seats is before voters on Tuesday. While incumbent Nicole Casolari is seeking a second term, longtime member Andrea Miles elected to not seek reelection. Joining Casolari in the race are Priscilla Marion, Kevin Hennessey and David King.

Most other positions remain unopposed, or even vaccant. Nicholas Prentiss and Tracie Kennedy returned papers for two available seats on the School Committee. Both the Planning Board and Board of Health chairs Diane Supczak-Mulvaney and Karen Walsh Pio, respectively, are running for reelection, but a write-in candidate will likely take the seats held by vice-chairs Nate Therien and Tony Judge. Municipal Light Board Chair John Hine and Board of Assessors Chair Kevin Taugher are on the ballot to continue their tenures.

The Trustees of the Free Public Library, usually a highly competitive race in South Hadley, will include incumbents Susan Crowther, David Morrell and Gillian Woldorf running for the open three-year terms. Newcomer David Penn Solender-Clark returned papers for a one-year term as trustee.

SHELD headquarters

Voters will also give their opinion on plans for a SHELD headquarters on Old Lyman Road next to Big Y. The nonbinding ballot question cannot prevent the Municipal Light Board from going forward, and it’s unclear whether the outcome will factor in the board’s opinions on the project.

While the proposed plan for a new headquarters made its first public appearance in September 2025, the municipal electric utility has been discussing a move out of the Falls as early as 2012. Since then, the lack of space and aging infrastructure at 85 Main St. have only grown into bigger issues.

According to the conceptual floor plan on the SHELD website, the one-story building on Old Lyman Road would include approximately 10,000-square-feet of office space for both the electric and broadband internet utility, called Fiberspring, a well as an 9,640-square-foot warehouse and 11,500-square-foot garage for trucks and equipment.

Ratepayers would see the biggest impact on their bills in the first 10 years of the 30-year loan. Based on an average electricity use of 700 kWh, the Municipal Light Board estimates an increase of $13.89 in monthly bills. The total bill for 750 kWh with this increase would come to $147.21 a month, which is still below the average rate in the commonwealth at $153.16.

The annual town elections are just the beginning of these discussions. Town Meeting will need to approve the budget on May 13, with or without the override number. Discussions on other revenue-generating plans, such as a payment-in-leu of taxes program or budget oversight committee, have already started and will continue to develop over the next couple months.