Southampton TM backs override to address $2.5M deficit; crucial vote looms at May 19 election

SOUTHAMPTON — Residents took the first step to passing either a $2.5 or $1.9 million Proposition 2½ override after approving the measure at Saturday’s annual Town Meeting, but for final approval, the question must be passed again by voters at the May 19 Town Election.

The override question under Article 2 passed with little opposition, but saw lengthy discussion before being voted on. Facing a roughly $2.5 million deficit to level services, the town opted to propose two override questions.

Articles 1, 2 and 3 dominated discussion of the 25-article warrant. The nearly five-hour Town Meeting at the Norris School gymnasium drew so many residents that the meeting started an hour late at 11 a.m., after officials needed to make more seating to accommodate a flowing line of residents that extended out the door.

Article 8 was the only article to fail, as residents turned down a citizen’s petition to reduce the amount of taxes property owners pay through the Community Preservation Act from a 3% surcharge to 1%. The article drew a lengthy discussion.

It was the override, however, that residents highly anticipated.

Resident Lorraine Morse said she will vote “yes” on the override at the Town Election. “To cut the heart of our town by eliminating paramedics, (impacting) police and library, I’m concerned about that,” Morse said. “I would hope that people really look at what you’re going to lose if this [override] does not pass.”

Election polls open at Town Hall at noon and close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19. Residents will be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on both the $1.9 million and $2.5 million override options. Both need a majority vote to pass, and if both get that majority, the $2.5 million override would be enacted.

Many years ago, Morse’s husband had a heart attack at their Southampton home. He survived, but Morse said at that time the town had no paramedics and the couple needed to wait 20 minutes for a Northampton ambulance to respond. Morse said she could not imagine the town losing more paramedics, lowering response times significantly. Two paramedics would be lost if the override fails.

Other cuts the town would make if neither override passes include eliminating positions and reducing hours to staff at Norris School, the library would be reduced to one employee, and police and fire would lose staffing hours and more. A total of 18 town positions would be cut, but some of those are vacant.

“Last year they got rid of the art teacher at the elementary school. I don’t know how any community could do that,” said resident and former Select Board member Maureen Gorden, commenting on at least five full-time employees — including a first grade and kindergarten teacher — and several hour reductions cut to Norris School last year after a failed override vote.

Article 1 passed overwhelmingly after discussion, approving the town’s fiscal year 2027 budget of approximately $15.9 million. Article 3 passed, approving Southampton’s contribution to Hampshire Regional High School of approximately $6.2 million, but only after a proposed amendment failed that would have postponed the vote until a special Town Meeting scheduled for June 20.

Adding the figures from Article 1 and 3 together — the towns operational budget and contribution to the high school — the town’s budget for next fiscal year is approximately $22.2 million. The town needs approximately $24.7 million to maintain level services and fund certain positions that are vacant, which the $2.5 million override would cover if it passes.

The amendment to Article 3 was proposed by Select Board member Jon Lumbra, who hoped to see if the other five towns in the Hampshire Regional School District approve the high school’s budget or turn it down. Other towns are expected to vote on their portions of the high school’s budget by June 1.

Additionally, the Finance Committee voted unanimously to not recommend Hampshire Regional’s budget, but the article passed with few “no” votes.

The June 20 special Town Meeting seeks to tie-off multiple outstanding matters for the current fiscal year.

“While it is good to be first in this case, we are the first community out of the communities who vote on this. I’d like to hear what their votes are going to be,” Lumbra said. “If we delay until June 20 and take no action until then, we still have the ability to act on this, but data points will be in, we’ll know what the other committees are doing.”

If more than one town rejects the high school’s budget, it would go back to the school committee to decide how to proceed. If a budget isn’t passed by July 1, then the high school would enter a “1/12 budget,” which Superintendent Vito Perrone previously said would be “devastating.” This kind of interim budget uses 1/12 of last year’s approved budget on a monthly basis, until a new budget can be approved.

Other articles

Article 12 and 14 passed, eliminating the town caucus and making the treasurer-collector position appointed rather than elected. Both were proposed for efficiency purposes and saw little opposition.

Voters also OK’d Article 21, transferring $400,000 from Community Preservation Act Funds to the Southampton Affordable Housing Trust.

Article 24 also passed, appropriating $547,800 to create a conservation restriction on 75-acres of land located at 37 Middle Road, but only if the town receives a state Local Acquisition for Natural Diversity Grant.