Easthampton council adopts FY2027 budget after public testimony; $300 licensing-stipend restoration fails

Easthampton — The Easthampton City Council on June 24 adopted the city’s fiscal year 2027 budget after hearing extended public comment and answering councilors’ questions about timing, revenues and a pending recount. The council approved a series of section-by-section appropriations that, taken together, form the $65-million range budget the mayor submitted following an override vote earlier this year.

Chair Tom Peake told the council the Finance Committee reviewed the mayor’s proposal across many hours and recommended relatively modest reductions that totaled about $51,000, including cuts to training, a technology subscription described as the “flock cameras,” and reducing the sustainability coordinator from full-time to part-time with the balance to be supported by a grant. Peake said those changes reflected the committee’s view that there were limited nonessential items left to trim without affecting services.

Why now: Several councilors pressed staff and the auditor for clarity about how a possible recount of the override and the autumn tax-rate recap could affect the appropriation process. Auditor Patel explained that the expense side must be in place by June 30 while the tax-rate recap in the fall finalizes revenue; if revenues later proved lower (for example, because an override were reversed), the mayor would be required to make compensating reductions so expenditures matched available revenue.

Public input: Dozens of residents spoke during the public-hearing period. Some, including John Cooland, challenged the budget’s growth, telling councilors the city’s spending rose “44% in five years,” and urging deeper cuts. Others, including school committee members and residents, warned that deeper cuts would harm vulnerable populations and school operations. Mayor Helen Derby urged the council to restore a $1,500 licensing-board stipend that Finance had recommended trimming to $1,200; she described the stipend as the only formal recognition for work performed outside an employee’s base job description.

Council action: The council voted to approve each section of the budget in turn — general government ($3,462,232.44), public safety ($9,285,369.33), schools ($24,046,664.66), public works ($2,510,779.51), human services ($786,233.33), culture and recreation ($835,581.25), debt and interest ($5,547,923.82), employee benefits ($14,502,761.72), community preservation ($854,700), and enterprise operations ($3,465,883.75). The council also capped the DPW revolving fund for electric-vehicle charging stations and the bike-share program at $20,000 for FY2027 per Mass. General Laws c.44 §53E½.

Licensing stipend amendment: Councilor Markee moved to restore $300 to the licensing-board stipend (returning it to $1,500). The council debated whether the clerk’s licensing work was properly paid via stipend or should be folded into a salaried job, and whether the tasks were being performed during regular hours. The motion went to a roll-call vote and recorded four yes votes and four no votes (Bonnie Denham — No; Felicia Jadzak — No; JP Kuszynski — Yes; Tom Peake — Yes; Tamara Smith — No; Jonathan Schmidt — Yes; Manda Nguyen — No; Nathan Marquis — Yes), producing a 4–4 tie; the motion failed and the Finance Committee recommendation stands.

What’s next: Chair Peake and several councilors urged the mayor to convene department heads to seek operational savings and to continue work on longer-term structural changes, including an “open budget” approach to improve transparency. The tax-rate recap in the fall will finalize revenue numbers and, if necessary, prompt adjustments to the spending plan.

The council closed the public hearing and moved to regular business items, including two Eversource public-hearing referrals and a separate resolution on a Southampton cell-tower proposal.