News Articles

Below are newspaper articles related to the budget crisis and the override campaign.

OP-ED: Public education a critical investment

Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 9, 2009

Byline: MARY BATES, JANIS TOTTY and ROB ADAMS

The Northampton Public Schools have enjoyed an excellent reputation for many years. Our high school graduates attend outstanding colleges and universities and experience much success in their careers. Parents from surrounding communities make the choice to send their children to our city schools when there are openings. And many people, whether or not they have children, move to our city because of the reputation of its schools, which they equate with a vibrant and economically thriving community.

In our city there are approximately 3,000 students enrolled in public pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 education. The investment we make in their education is an investment from which we all benefit, as these young people grow, contribute to and eventually lead our society. Not only our future, but our very real present-property values, crime rates, and the local economy-is inextricably linked with the quality of our public schools.

The funding for our schools is complicated and not solely in our city's control.

Under the Massachusetts Education Reform Act, Northampton receives money from the state through a formula that has resulted in the consistent underfunding of our schools over the years, in contrast to many surrounding communities. The city has provided a substantial share of the balance through tax revenues, the major portion of which comes from local property taxes. The city may not increase property taxes by more than 2½ percent per year, unless there is an override by the voters.

School expenses here and elsewhere in the country, however, have increased at an annual rate of more than 2½ percent, due to The No Child Left Behind Act, the rising cost of health insurance, and other factors. The result for the Northampton Public Schools has been yearly budget gaps, and cuts and cuts and cuts.

Over the past eight years, the elementary schools alone have lost the following personnel and resources:

- Guidance counselors (one out of two eliminated per school)

- Assistant principals (eliminated)

- School psychologists (time reduced)

- Remedial math services (eliminated, except for one year at Bridge St. School)

- Remedial reading services (reduced, including the elimination of Reading Recovery teachers)

- Instrumental music (eliminated)

- Classroom aides in first grade (eliminated)

- Recess and lunch aides (eliminated)

- Cafeteria staff (reduced)

- Maintenance staff (reduced)

- Classroom teachers (reduced)

The John F. Kennedy Middle School and the Northampton High School have experienced similar cuts. District-wide cuts also have impacted the schools, including elimination of the associate superintendent for curriculum, instruction and equity; and the elementary curriculum coordinator. None of these positions or programs has been restored.

The impact of these cuts, year after year after year, has been absorbed largely by the teachers and administrators, who work longer hours and juggle a multitude of duties. Class sizes have increased in all schools, with as many as 28 students in some elementary classes.

Our superintendent, our principals, the professional staff at the elementary schools, and parents and other community members, all have worked diligently and creatively to try to maintain the quality of education in the Northampton Public Schools despite the significant budget cuts.

Teachers, administrators and other staff now routinely work 50 to 70 hours a week - before school, after school, through lunch, at night and on the weekends - to try to make up for the cuts in services and staff. Parents and community members have created a large army of volunteers who: help out in classrooms, the cafeterias and school offices; provide library and reading support; build and rebuild playgrounds; paint halls and classrooms; reduce costs and waste through recycling, composting and other measures; and raise money through bake sales/movie nights/bowling nights/green galas/silent auctions/dance parties/games nights/coffee sales/book fairs and more.

All of these efforts by the staff of our public schools, and by the many parent and community volunteers, are valiant and noteworthy. They have made a real difference in the lives of our students and in the life of our city. We have a thriving school community with dedicated professionals and with students who, by and large, love their schools and are motivated to learn and succeed. But we now face a crisis.

The city is short millions of dollars. The public schools and other city departments face severe cuts. The elementary schools are slated to lose 17 teachers and aides, with projected class sizes of 25 to 36 in many classrooms. The high school stands to lose 11 teachers and aides, and funding for athletics, after-school and extra-curricular activities. The middle school also is projected to lose 9 teachers and aides, and funding for extra-curricular activities. The impact of these and other projected cuts on our schools and our community will be profound.

This is our town. These are our kids and our schools. It takes a village to raise a child and we all play a part. It is our hope that at this time of crisis we can come together for the common good. We ask that you, the citizens of Northampton, do all you can to support our public schools and the children of our community.

This column was submitted by Mary Bates and written by Bates, Janis Totty and Rob Adams, all teachers at Jackson Street School.

Northampton teachers' decision time near: Wage freeze on midweek agenda

Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 9, 2009

Byline: BOB FLAHERTY

NORTHAMPTON - City teachers union leaders say a proposed wage freeze will be among the options discussed - and possibly voted on - at a union membership meeting Wednesday.

The closed-door session will take place in the JFK Middle School cafeteria at 3:30 p.m..

Teachers who signed a petition asking for the meeting will be happy that their union appears to be poised to take a stand on the requested wage freeze before the $2 million Proposition 2½ override vote scheduled for June 16.

Teachers received a message in their mailboxes Monday morning that said: "Your bargaining team will report on the status of our conversations with the School Committee. We anticipate that there will be a vote taken at this meeting."

"I'm glad they're having it," said JFK teacher Julie Spencer-Robinson. "I hope they have a menu of options."

After the union meeting, leaders of the Northampton Association of School Employees will meet with members of the School Committee and Superintendent Isabelina Rodriguez in her office, according to union president Sharon Carlson.

"After that meeting, we should have a much clearer idea where we stand," said NASE vice president Tracy Dawson-Greene. "People will feel better or they'll feel worse. Older teachers have seen this sort of thing come and go; younger teachers are worried about losing their jobs."

Teachers have bemoaned a dearth of conversation between the rank-and-file members and their leaders.

"Most frustrating for me has been the utter lack of communication from the executive committee," said Spencer-Robinson. "We have been told nothing about negotiations, or even whether or not they're opening up our contract. Why so much secrecy?"

Carlson said that is part and parcel of union negotiations.

"You don't divulge what's going on in negotiations until you have something to bring back to members," said Carlson. " 'OK, this is what they're offering,' or 'we're at a stalemate.' "

Carlson and Dawson-Greene say there have been two NASE meetings, on March 24 and 26, where teachers were able to voice their ideas, in addition to the annual meeting March 29 and another session on May 11.

Spencer-Robinson said many teachers were disappointed that the wage-freeze issue was not discussed in depth at the March 29 meeting, and that the May 11 session was mainly a time to brainstorm ways to save money.

"No, there have not been numerous opportunities to voice our concerns," said Spencer-Robinson.

Meanwhile, negotiating sessions between the union executive committee and School Committee members Lisa Minnick and Katherine Foote Newman, along with Rodriguez and legal representation, were held March 5, April 15, May 15 and June 5, according to Carlson and Dawson-Greene.

Carlson said there are good reasons that union leaders are resistant to the wage-freeze request.

"Any time you expect employees to pay for general services, employees that aren't paid that well to begin with, you have resentment," said Carlson. "The mayor asked way too soon - it felt more like bullying. Our members have been going through this same thing for eight or nine years now; there's not enough money, and then we find the money."

She said some teachers are skeptical of the city's numbers.

"We're starting to get a lot more solid information now than what we had in March," said Carlson. "Remember, this budget gap started at $6.1 million, now it's down to $3 million."

Dawson-Greene noted that among the teachers are people with competing agendas. If a wage freeze is agreed upon, older teachers facing retirement would see less money in their pensions. If the wage freeze is rejected and the override fails, younger teachers would be the first to lose their jobs.

In our opinion: Let's hear from unions (Gazette editorial)

Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 8, 2009

Leaders of three unions representing Northampton school employees should give their members a voice on the wage freeze request presented by the city.

Reasonable people can disagree on whether Northampton's unionized employees should accept a wage freeze as one part of the city's approach to balancing next year's budget. But at the very least, city bargaining groups should be up front about where they stand.

On June 16 voters will consider a $2 million override of the tax-limiting law Proposition 2½, another part of the plan to balance the budget. In letters to the editor, at public meetings and in private conversation, voters are asking: Where do the unions stand? For some, the answer will not sway their decision; for others, their vote on the override hangs on how unions come down on the wage-freeze request.

Non-union employees will get no raise in the fiscal year that starts July 1. In addition, five out of the city's 14 bargaining units, representing 215 employees, have agreed to a wage freeze. The 43-member police officers union rejected the freeze request because they expect to lose educational incentive bonuses currently provided by the state. The seven members of the police sergeants union are in negotiations with the city.

Of the seven unions that make up the Northampton Association of School Employees (NASE), four are in negotiations and we expect the wage freeze request is a focus of their talks. The three remaining bargaining units - the 255-member teachers union, a five-member group of school administrators and the 65-member Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School union - have not made it clear whether they will reopen negotiations with the city.

This stance does a disservice to all city residents and it is not a position universally shared by members of those unions.

Northampton teachers are circulating a petition asking union leadership to call a membership meeting to discuss the question. Some teachers are taking that request even further to argue that teachers should - in solidarity with city residents and to preserve jobs - agree to a wage freeze.

Teachers union leaders seem put out that teachers were even asked to consider a wage freeze. Get over it. This is a crummy economy and since NASE represents 507 city employees, or 66 percent of the unionized workforce, they had to be asked.

Many voters - including rank and file members of these unions - want to hear the answer before June 16.

Pay issue divides teachers, union brass in Northampton

Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 4, 2009

Byline: CHAD CAIN

NORTHAMPTON - Teachers union leaders in Northampton and many rank-and-file members are at odds over whether to put the city's request for a wage freeze to a vote.

JFK Middle School teachers Dinah Mack and Kate Parrott are circulating a petition among the members of the 255-person union asking union leaders to convene an emergency meeting to see if members are willing to open up contract negotiations and make pay concessions, as they mayor asks.

"I'm hoping that there is pressure by members of the union who would like to have a discussion and a vote," said Mack, who has taught at JFK for four years. "Many of us do feel a bit silenced. I personally would like to give something of my income."

Both Mack and Parrott said they would like to see the union actively and openly consider accepting a wage freeze.

"It's not an issue of funny numbers from the mayor - we have a global recession," said Parrott, a seventh-grade teacher who stands to lose her job next year after teaching at the school for five years.

"We are seeing it in the parents of the students, they are getting laid off and seeing their hours get cut," she said. "If we have to give something back in order to support the community, I'm in favor of that."

If the teachers do not vote on the issue before the city's June 16 override vote, residents will have to decide whether to increase their property taxes without knowing whether the teachers union will accept wage freezes next year.

Many other, though not all, city unions have accepted wage freezes. Some, such as police sergeants, school custodians and cafeteria workers, are still negotiating.

Meanwhile, among the teachers union, there are sharp differences of opinion, but many members say they simply want to put it to a vote.

"Our members should be able to vote on this the same way the city is voting on an override," said JFK Middle School fifth-grade teacher Michelle Andrews. "The people's voice should be heard."

She said she understands the reluctance of some teachers - particularly senior teachers - to accept a pay freeze given how it would affect their pensions.

"I would vote for the pay freeze for many reasons, but when I talk to my colleagues and hear their point of view I understand it," she said. "For people who are close to retirement, I understand how this affects them."

Other teachers say they've gotten a bad rap in the press and at public meetings because of speculation that they are not willing to budge.

"We have to let people know where we stand by June 16," said John Crescitelli, a sixth-grade teacher at JFK. "We need to be proactive, not to hem and haw and drag it out. ... I feel bad for the townspeople who are waiting to see where we stand."

The $2 million Proposition 2½ override vote is not tied to wage freezes, but the two issues have been linked because Mayor Clare Higgins has asked all city unions to accept pay freezes for next year.

Talks between school officials and union leadership have been ongoing for several weeks. Many members say they are as uninformed about the status of negotiations as the general public - and frustratingly so.

"We are feeling a disconnect," said Garrett Adams, a teacher at Jackson Street School. "It's a complicated situation and I'm not clear how this works. I'd like more communication."

Crescitelli is more pointed, calling on union president Sharon Carlson and her board to make a public statement. He said that the union needs to let the public know what it is thinking and why.

"We're all in this together," he said. "My colleagues and I are community members and we feel we need to make sacrifices like everyone else."

Union stance

Teachers union vice president Tracy Dawson-Greene said union leadership may be meeting today to discuss the situation, but it's a complicated issue. "I think the question is exactly what are we voting on," she said.

There are several ways teachers see increases in their pay: contracted cost-of-living adjustments, step increases as teachers gain experience, and salary increases that come with additional education. Teachers would need to be clear about which of those are on the table.

"We have not reopened our contract, but we are talking about ways we can help," she said.

When asked if the leadership would convene an emergency meeting as the teachers' petition asks, she referred a reporter to Carlson, the president of the union.

"She's the one that calls those meetings," Dawson-Greene said.

Carlson did not return messages left by the Gazette seeking comment.

In a letter to the editor, Carlson and Dawson-Greene do not address the question of whether the wage-freeze question would be brought to a vote by union members.

Teachers make sacrifices every day, the letter states, "when they purchase supplemental materials for classrooms, help students with daily work, coordinate community service learning and fundraising projects, not to mention the planning and evaluation that goes into day to day teaching."

The letter also states that "we represent a diverse group of teachers and we are collectively exploring options to equally distribute any 'sacrifices' while preserving jobs and a reasonable class size."

Little time

Meanwhile, many teachers are worried that their voices may never be heard and that time is running out to reopen their current three-year contract for negotiations. After the June 16 override vote, the City Council is scheduled to take its final vote on next year's budget June 18.

"We would like to have some kind of vote to see whether or not the teachers want to open the contract," said Andrea James, a teacher at JFK. "How do we know what the people want unless we do some sort of tally?"

While many teachers are willing to sacrifice, some aren't sure they should accept an across-the-board salary freeze proposed by Higgins. The mayor's position, they say, put many teachers off and has unfairly hurt their reputation.

"I am definitely on board with the override and the wage freeze. I'm holding my breath," said Julie Spencer-Robinson, who teaches at JFK. She said her family, like many others, is struggling to make ends meet, but she's willing to make the sacrifice.

"Not getting the 3 percent increase is fair. I'm definitely not alone," she said. "A lot of teachers feel that way."

Teacher suggestions

Meanwhile, teachers say that at smaller meetings over the last two months, groups of teachers have submitted many cost-saving measures to union leadership. These ideas varied from furloughs to early retirement and slashing supply budgets.

"I do think that the teachers are very sympathetic to the economic situation we are in and they do want to help out the community in some way," said James, who supports a wage concession. "It's disappointing that we are being made out to be the bad guys. Many of us do truly care but there is a negotiation going on."

James credits union leadership for diligently working on the issue, especially given that they've only had since early April to iron out a deal that might satisfy the city's largest and most diverse union.

That union has many members who are approaching retirement and object to the wage freeze because of the impact it would have on retirement packages that are calculated based on the last three years of an employee's wages. Newer teachers, however, may lose their jobs outright.

"It's creating an uncomfortable environment," said Crescitelli. "As the year closes, we don't have all of the information we need. Young teachers are thinking they are done. Older teachers are worried about their retirement. They both have valid arguments. That's what makes this hard. It pits teachers against each other."

Other teachers, especially those who live in Northampton, say they would suffer a triple hit should they agree to a wage freeze, see property taxes go up and pay a higher amount for health insurance.

Meanwhile, Adams notes that no teachers want to lose colleagues, nor do they want to see the corresponding bump in class size should 28 teachers not come back next year.

Scorecard on Northampton wage-freeze request

Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 4, 2009

Mayor Clare Higgins has asked all Northampton unions to accept wage freezes for the fiscal year that begins July 1 to help make up for a projected $6 million budget shortfall. In this space today, we show the status of their responses. For the 75 employees not represented by unions, the city has imposed a wage freeze.

Some city unions, such as the police sergeants' union, are in the middle of negotiations for new contracts; Higgins says there is no money available for raises. But other bargaining units are in the middle of multi-year contracts that include wage increases. They are being asked to make pay concessions.

This means reopening negotiations, an unusual move in the middle of a contract term. The city has made other savings through new health insurance and other revenue sources. Higgins is also asking voters to approve a $2 million override on Proposition 2½ on June 16.

Union	# of members	Position on wage-freeze request
AFSCME, Council 93, Local 2806	37	Agreed
Northampton Association of Municipal Employees (NAME)	64 (DPW labor, 56; Central Services custodians 8)	Agreed
Firefighters and Fire Captains IAFF, Local 108	43 firefighters, 10 captains	Agreed
Deputy Fire Chiefs Association	6	Agreed
Police Officers, IBPO Local 390	43	Rejected (but they are losing educational incentive money, which will result in a pay cut)
Police Sergeants, IBPO, Local 390S	7	In negotiations
Northampton Administrative and Professional Employees Association	55	Agreed
Northampton Association of School Employees
Teachers	255	Talking about reopening negotiations
School secretaries	25	Open contract in negotiations
Educational support professionals	105	Open contract in negotiations
School custodians	41	Open contract in negotiations
School administrators Unit B	5	Talking about reopening negotiation
Northampton Cafeteria Workers	11	Open contract in negotiations
Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School teachers	65	Talking about reopening negotiations

City residents press for shared sacrifice

Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 2, 2009

Byline: LAURIE LOISEL

NORTHAMPTON - Like it or not, city unions became a focal point Monday night during a forum on the June 16 Proposition 2½ override vote.

Several people in the audience wanted to know where negotiations stand with city employee unions, which are being asked to accept a wage freeze for the coming fiscal year.

"I understand they don't want the pressure, but the fact is everybody's under pressure," said Market Street resident Steven Bandarra. He said he is a big supporter of education, but noted that there are layoffs and pay freezes taking place in the private sector all over the country.

"I'm not sure why people are upset that they're being asked for a wage freeze," he said. "Nobody is being picked on."

That sentiment seemed to echo among speakers who talked about how difficult it will be for many city residents to pay additional property taxes.

Residents are being asked to ante up more property tax money by approving a $2 million override of the tax-limiting state law Proposition 2½ in a citywide vote scheduled for June 16. By way of example, that increase would add about $188 a year in property taxes for a house assessed at $306,000. The measure also includes provisions exempting low-income elderly residents from the increase.

Monday's two-hour event, sponsored by the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association, drew approximately 50 residents and was so far the only forum on the referendum to field a panel that included pro-override speakers and anti-override speakers. In a nutshell, here is what the panelists had to say on the subject:

Mayor Clare Higgins said she presented an FY 2010 budget to the City Council that tallies up at $70 million, which is 3.3 percent less than the current year's budget of $72 million. This will lead to a loss of 62 full-time jobs and cutbacks in city services. which is why she is in favor of the override, even though she knows it presents hardship for people.

"We're asking a hard thing," she said. "I'm planning on supporting the override because I want to preserve the jobs we can save."

If the override passes, it will be distributed as follows: $1 million to city schools, $180,000 to the Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, $50,000 to subsidize the exemptions, and the remainder to the rest of the city budget.

Speaker Kevin Lake, a semi-retired businessman, noted that while Proposition 2½ is a good way to force communities to rein in spending, the override is a mechanism that was meant to be used when necessary.

He said when he adjusted money spent on schools to factor in inflation, the city is spending less money on its schools than it did a number of years ago. Meanwhile, he said, the increases allowed by Proposition 2½ have not kept pace.

"My feeling is we're overdue," he said of the override vote. "We're already spending less on our kids than we used to."

Pamela Schwartz, a member of the Vote Yes Northampton campaign, put it in blunt and concrete terms: If the override passes, nine police officers will be kept on the street, 16 to 22 teachers will remain in the classroom, funding for high school athletics will be restored, and Forbes Library will remain open on Mondays and Saturdays.

"There's no mystery here," she said. "We know where this money will be going."

Override opponents Kathleen Silva and Gene Tacy both cited the dismal economy as part of the reason they are opposed to the extra taxation.

"This override will be a permanent tax factored into your tax bill year after year," said Silva.

Tacy repeatedly accused Higgins of lacking a plan for the future.

"There does not appear to be a plan. To say we need money to fill a gap is not a plan, nor is hope a strategy," he said. "We need a new generation of economic ideas."

When asked about the status of union negotiations, Higgins said clerical workers, firefighters and deputy fire chiefs have signed on to a pay freeze; Department of Public Works employees accepted reduced hours with corresponding cuts in pay; and police officers did not accept a wage freeze, but they will see pay cuts because of cuts in a state- and city-funded education incentive program.

In addition, she noted, all non-union managers have accepted a pay freeze, as have employees working in the mayor's office.

Northampton Sports on Chopping Block

CBS 3, May 29, 2009

Layoffs may change Northampton DARE officer's role

Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 29, 2009

Byline: CHAD CAIN

NORTHAMPTON - Fifth-graders in the city's elementary schools this week are celebrating the end of their studies in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. But the future of the program is in doubt as Police Department layoffs loom, officials say.

Officer Albert St. Onge has been the schools' DARE instructor for 15 years, forging close connections with the schools and their students. But he may be reassigned to regular patrol duties in July, as police brace for as many as nine layoffs under the fiscal 2010 budget, according to Capt. Kenneth Patenaude.

Margaret Riddle, principal at R.K. Finn Ryan Road School, said losing St. Onge will be blow to a school system facing deep cuts of its own.

"He's a real community presence in the schools," Riddle said. "He's just exactly what you'd want for someone in that role."

More than simply telling children to "say no to drugs," Riddle said, St. Onge gets involved in many aspects of school life, including serving as chaperon on trips to Nature's Classroom.

St. Onge also handles school-related incidents and investigations for the Police Department. He could not be reached for comment Thursday.

"I'm just pleased that I'm in a position to talk to kids about the dangers of substance abuse and violence, as well as discussing rational decision making that result in peaceful solutions," St. Onge told the Gazette last year, on being honored as Police Officer of the Year by Northampton Elks Lodge 997.

"My focus is primarily on helping kids try to realize the consequences with each action made, and hopefully they'll have a positive relationship with police officers throughout their lives."

Northampton was the first community in Massachusetts to offer DARE in its schools, beginning the program in 1986.

Northampton budget a 'work in progress': City Council to talk to department heads

Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 23, 2009

Byline: CHAD CAIN

NORTHAMPTON - The City Council will forge ahead with budget proceedings next week even though the figures that will be bandied about at three nights of hearings with department heads are likely to change dramatically between now and the start of the fiscal year.

Mayor Clare Higgins unveiled a $70.5 million spending plan Thursday night that represents a 3.3 percent decrease from the current year's budget, eliminates 62 full-time positions and significantly curtails city services.

The council has scheduled budget hearings to go over the police and fire department budgets on Tuesday and the Department of Public Works and Central Services budgets on Wednesday. Both meetings begin at 5 p.m. in Council Chambers. A special joint meeting with the School Department will take place Thursday, at 6:30 p.m., at JFK Middle School.

The meetings will give the council its only chance to talk with department heads about expenditures next fiscal year prior to taking a final budget vote on June 18.

In an interview Friday, Higgins and Finance Director Christopher Pile cautioned that the budget as presented is a "worst-case" scenario based on the city's current financial situation. It does not include money from an override, union wage freezes and other unknown initiatives such as a new meals tax that the city may eventually use to reduce a $5 million shortfall before fiscal 2010 begins on July 1.

"It's a work in process. They are still working on the state numbers, but we are sticking with the numbers we have now," Higgins said. "If that changes, we'll adjust."

Local aid from the state is projected to be cut by an estimated $2.5 million next year, based on the latest state figures announced Wednesday.

That cut comes just as the city is experiencing across-the-board declines in local revenue sources. Some estimates include $300,000 in new growth, the lowest amount in a decade; $168,750 in interest income, a 64 percent drop from fiscal 2009; $150,000 less in vehicle excise taxes; a $32,000 decrease in licenses and permits; and an estimated $100,000 drop in parking tickets.

Additionally, the city's "rainy day" fund, used to help the city balance the budget for the last five years, is now at a level that must be saved for emergencies only. The fund's balance is $260,000.

There also is a nearly $1.35 million balance in the capital stabilization fund that had originally been pegged to help finance construction of the new police station. With that project on hold, the mayor is recommending keeping this money in reserve to offset other unexpected capital costs.

The capital fund money would be used to help the city make unemployment insurance payments. Because the city is self-insured and doesn't pay unemployment insurance, layoffs of 62 people would cost the city about $1 million, Higgins said.

The layoffs, which would include 33 teachers in the Northampton schools and nine police officers, hinge on both the passage of a $2 million Proposition 2½ override and agreements for union wage freezes. Three unions have agreed to freeze their wages, and talks with the other unions continue. Higgins could not say whether those talks would be complete before residents vote on the override question on June 16.

"I have no control over when the agreements come. I hope so," she said. "I'm going to vote yes (on the override). I think it's the right thing to do."

The mayor said the police officers union has decided against a wage freeze, but officers will actually take a pay cut next year because of a decline in revenues generated from the Quinn Bill. The union representing the Department of Public Works has also decided against a wage freeze. To offset the increase in wages, Higgins is proposing to reduce their work weeks from 40 hours to 37 hours.

The teachers union has yet to decide whether they will open their contract and negotiate the wage freeze with the School Committee, while unions representing other school departments are currently in negotiation.

Other budget highlights include creation of a new office of Economic and Community Development funded by the city's Community Development Block Grant and other federal grants. The move would eliminate the economic development coordinator position in the mayor's office. Teri Anderson, who currently holds that position, would direct the new office, Higgins said. Her salary would then be mostly grant-funded. The department would be responsible for all of the city's economic development, housing and other related activity.

Also, Board of Health director Xanthi Scrimgeour has agreed to reduce her hours by 43 percent so that the city can hire an additional health inspector. The health board clerk will also likely take a cut in hours.

Northampton residents weigh override at forum

Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 13, 2009

Byline: CHAD CAIN

NORTHAMPTON - With a special override election fast approaching, residents at a public forum Tuesday night wanted to know what might happen if they approve an increase in their property taxes and all of the city's unions don't agree to proposed wage freezes.

It's a scenario Mayor Clare Higgins hopes to avoid, and she candidly told about 25 residents attending the Bay State Village Association-sponsored forum that it's an unanswerable question right now.

"I'm not sure what is going to happen," Higgins said. "I don't want to cut jobs because I'm worried about services."

For weeks, the mayor has said that she didn't think that residents should be asked to raise their taxes through a $2 million Proposition 2½ override unless the unions agreed to forgo negotiated raises next year.

She is in "serious discussions" with the unions that fall under the city's umbrella, while the School Department continues to talk with its unions, although the union representing teachers has yet to officially open negotiations. Deals have already been reached with unions representing firefighters, deputy chiefs and administrative and professional employees.

In other news Tuesday night, resident Mitchell Kowalski took Higgins and Ward 5 City Councilor David A. Murphy to task for the way the city has handled its ambulance service.

In a feisty exchange, Higgins defended the city and said that it has crafted a plan to take over ambulance service in August when Am B Care stops servicing the city.

"We are going to run the ambulance, and it will subsidize six firefighters," she said.

If the city gave its ambulance service to a private ambulance provider, it would lose $600,000 in revenue currently being generated each year, lay off five firefighters, cover shifts with smaller crews and close the fire substation in Florence, said Murphy.

Projections show the city making about $1.3 million the first year it runs the ambulance service, depending on how the Fire Department handles overtime expenses, he said.

"It's worth us trying, but we have to watch the overtime," Murphy said. "We want people to show up when you need them."

Kowalski doesn't buy the plan.

"If you are getting something for free and it's working, why would you change it," he said, referring to an agreement the city had with ambulance provider AMR a few years ago.

Most of the forum centered around the city's bleak financial picture that led city councilors last week to call for a special override election on June 16. The city is facing a $5 million shortfall next fiscal year, including a $2 million drop in revenue.

City officials hope the override will help close this gap, but they still would be forced to cut another $3 million in spending. A wage freeze would reduce this amount by $1.6 million, and department cuts that include layoffs are also in the plans.

"The override is tied to the revenue side," Higgins said. "We're still trying to cut the expense side."

Higgins will deliver a balanced budget to the City Council next week that does not reflect an override or settlement on the wage issues. The council would then get a final budget at its June 18 meeting, after the override election and union negotiations have concluded.

Should the override fail and wage concessions aren't reached, the city would lay off as many as 70 employees and curb numerous other city services.

Because the city is self-insured and doesn't pay unemployment insurance, layoffs would do more than affect city services. They would also be a significant financial burden for the city, which would have to pay the full amount in unemployment to every person laid off. If 70 people get laid off, that's $1 million, Higgins said.

"I'm having a hard time justifying that," she said.

Some residents wanted to know if the city is insisting on wage freezes in its negotiations with the unions, or if officials are open to other money-saving ideas such as early retirement for teachers.

"Are you being flexible about that?" asked Vernon Fath, of 134 Riverside Drive.

School Committee member Stephanie Pick said that state law doesn't allow the schools to offer early retirement. She said the negotiating committee is open to hearing suggestions from the union. Higgins said she respects the tough decisions that union members have to make, particularly when pensions are based on an employee's final three years of salary, but she declined to get into specific ideas being hashed out with union heads.

"I don't want to negotiate in the newspaper," she said.

In Our Opinion: First, focus on 2½ vote

Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 13, 2009

Hampshire Gazettte Editorial

Soon enough, Northampton voters will have a chance to choose a mayor in what is sure to be a lively, if not also a polarizing, election.

For now, there is another very important - and also potentially polarizing - vote at hand. On June 16, residents will be asked whether they are willing to raise an additional $2 million for the city budget through property taxes. The law known as Proposition 2½ allows the city to raise the tax levy only 2.5 percent each year unless voters say otherwise.

This is a vote that deserves the full attention of voters, and it's in Northampton's best interest for everyone, politicians and residents alike, to put the mayoral and City Council elections on the back burner for the next 33 days.

Voters need to be able to listen to their elected officials without wondering whether their views on the override are based on what's best for the city or an appeal to a voting block in the November election. Voters need facts, not political spin.

Mayor Clare Higgins has said that even if an override passes, it will not cover the entire projected $5 million gap in the fiscal year that begins July. 1. She has asked the city's 14 labor unions to agree to a wage freeze, resulting in an estimated $1.6 million in savings.

At-Large City Councilor Michael Bardsley, a candidate for mayor, said Higgins is making the unions out to be villains in this campaign. In our opinion, asking for concessions from the union is reasonable under the circumstances. Northampton is not alone in this situation. Communities across the commonwealth are facing difficult choices and looking for creative solutions to problems that were years in the making.

At the state and local level, as well as in private business, union and non-union employees, hourly and salary folks, managers and rank and file are being asked to make sacrifices. Let labor and management negotiators work it out at the bargaining table. It is a legitimate budget consideration and should not be labeled as anything else.

Candidates for mayor and city council need to keep Northampton's long-term interests at the forefront. With the exception of Ward 7 City Councilor Raymond W. LaBarge, all city councilors voted to put the tax measure on the ballot, either because they believe it is needed or to simply leave the decision to the voters, which is as it should be. Now councilors must cooperate to make sure voters get the most up-to-date and useful information about city finances and the impact of the override vote - up or down - prior to June 16.

Tax override votes are highly charged under any circumstances. It is time for everyone to take a deep breath and pause before plunging headlong into a electoral campaign before its time.

Northampton council OKs $2 million override question

Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 8, 2009

Byline: CHAD CAIN

NORTHAMPTON - The City Council Thursday night agreed to place a $2 million Proposition 2½ override on a special election ballot set for June 16, giving voters the ultimate decision whether to allow the city to raise their taxes beyond the limit imposed by state law.

The council's 8-1 vote - Ward 7 City Councilor Raymond W. LaBarge voted no - was taken even though most of the city's 14 unions have yet to agree to a proposed wage freeze next year. For weeks, Mayor Clare Higgins has said that she would not recommend the council move forward with the override if union members were not willing to share some of the sacrifice that residents and other city departments would have to make to close a $5 million budget gap for fiscal 2010.

"We are moving with our unions, but we are certainly not finished yet," Higgins told the council prior to its vote. "We will continue to work on that whether or not there is an override."

Higgins said that as of Thursday deals have been reached with unions representing 53 firefighters, six deputy chiefs and 55 administrative and professional employees. Negotiations with the remaining 11 unions will continue in the weeks leading up to the override vote.

"I had hoped we would have a decision by the deadline," Higgins said. "They are working hard with the city."

The police union's leaders have indicated they would discuss the idea, although members have yet to vote to reopen their contract for negotiation, Higgins said. She will also begin talks this week with unions representing the Department of Public Works and clerical staff.

Should all of the unions agree to forgo wage increases next year, it would enable the city to reduce its budget gap by $1.6 million.

The union concessions and the override, coupled with department cuts that include layoffs, are all part of a combined "shared sacrifice" strategy the mayor is using to try to reach a balanced budget without having to lay off as many as 70 city employees and curb numerous other city services.

At Large City Councilor Michael Bardsley, in a several-minute speech before the vote, challenged the mayor's strategy of putting the unions at the center of the override issue. He said the unions should not come out looking like "villains" if they don't agree, quoting from the mayor's guest column published in the Gazette last week.

"There is a great deal of pressure on the unions," said Bardsley, who is running for mayor this fall against Higgins. "Historically, there have been other occasions where we've asked the unions to help out the city. They have been working partners with us for some time and they have done their bit over the years."

The last time the unions agreed to a wage freeze was in 2003.

Higgins reiterated that it's her personal belief that the city should not ask residents who are already squeezing their dollars to pay more in taxes if its employees aren't willing to make similar sacrifices. She acknowledged, however, that she might have "overstepped my boundaries" in saying that the override would not move forward without union concessions.

She also said it's not an "us versus them" prospect and that union negotiations thus far have been thoughtful on both sides.

"Unions don't have to do it for the city. We're all the city. It's not one versus the other," she said.

Other councilors agreed with the mayor. In voting yes, Ward 4 City Councilor David J. Narkewicz encouraged Higgins to continue pursuing the other avenues she has laid out. He noted that many people are going without a bump in pay next year, including those on Social Security who won't see an inflation adjustment.

"To go out to taxpayers for $2 million when $1.6 million will be for salary increases will be problematic," he said.

Bardsley also called for a line-item budget and said council members have the responsibility to scrutinize every line so the public can be assured that they have done everything in their power to make cuts before asking for a tax increase.

"It's hard to consider an override without there being a budget," he said.

The mayoral candidate also suggested implementing a long-range effort to seek out other ways to bring revenue into the city, noting that ideas such as fundraising and contributions to the city budget should not be dismissed.

"We can't dismiss these kinds of efforts. These are extraordinary times," he said.

Ward 2 City Councilor Paul D. Spector said the issue boils down to whether people can and are willing to afford the tax increase. He noted that there are not a lot of other ways to get money that the city hasn't already explored and that relying on hoped-for contributions is not going to work. Now is the time to lay out the facts and let the voters make a "very personal decision."

Voters will make that decision June 16 when they're asked for $2 million more in real estate and personal property taxes through the override. The same ballot question would also ask for increased property tax exemptions for qualifying senior citizens.

The override would fund the operating budgets of city departments, including public safety, libraries, the School Department and Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School. The Northampton schools would get the biggest share of the total, at $1 million, followed by $765,000 for city departments, including police and fire, and $180,000 for Smith Vocational. Another $55,000 would fund increases in property exemptions granted to qualifying senior citizens.

The budget has consumed much of the energy of city officials over the last few months as dwindling revenues coupled with rising expenses left a gap that at one point climbed to more than $6 million. That gap now stands at about $5 million after the city reached agreement with a new health insurance company.

Northampton voters to decide $2 million override question

The Springfield Republican, May 8, 2009

Byline: FRED CONTRADA

NORTHAMPTON - The $2 million Proposition 2½ override question will now be in the hands of the voters after the Council Council voted to put it on the ballot in a special June 16 election Thursday.

As proposed by Mayor Mary Clare Higgins, the override, if passed, would channel $1 million into the School Department budget. Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School would get $180,000, and $765,000 would be divided among the remaining city departments, including police and fire. The override also includes some money for tax relief for seniors.

All but Ward 7 Councilor Raymond W. LaBarge voted in favor of placing the override on the ballot.

The override is part of a three-pronged strategy by Higgins to close a $6 million gap in the city's fiscal 2010 budget. She is calling for the 14 unions that represent city employees to agree to a wage freeze, which she estimates would save $1.6 million.

The mayor also will try to cut expenses to recoup more money. The city has already saved $1 million by switching health-care providers, but it is likely that some jobs will have to be eliminated.

Higgins had previously stated that she would not support the override unless all 14 unions agree to the wage freeze, saying that it would not be fair for taxpayers to shoulder the burden alone. Although she set May 1 as the deadline for the agreement, only a few unions have accepted the wage freeze. Nonetheless, the council voted to move the override forward.

Higgins said Friday she still has misgivings about the override without the unions coming into the fold. "If the unions don't cooperate, I think it's going to be very difficult to ask voters to raise their taxes," she said.

State law prohibits municipalities to raise property taxes by more than 2½ percent per year without the approval of voters. If passed, the override would become a permanent part of the tax base. In 2003, Northampton voters rejected a proposed $1.7 million override by a narrow margin.

During discussion of the override matter, At-Large Councilor Michael A. Bardsley, who is running for mayor, suggested that Higgins produce a line-item budget. That has not been her practice as mayor, but Higgins said Bardsley and others are welcome to see an itemized budget whenever they wish.

Ward 5 Councilor David A. Murphy said Friday that he does not believe a line item budget would be a practical help. "I don't think the city councilors can put in the kind of hours we need to take advantage of a line-item budget," he said.

Murphy said he sympathizes with people on both sides of the override question. He added, however, that the city will be in trouble if it doesn't recoup some money either through the override or union concessions. "If any one component goes away, or if the state sticks an even bigger fork in us, we'll start having to cut to the bone again," he said.

The deadline for registering to vote in the June 16 election is May 27. Mail-in voter registration forms are available at the city's post offices, libraries and the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce. Mail-in forms must be received by the Registrars of Voters or postmarked before May 27.

Override Question to Appear on the Ballot

WWLP, May 7, 2009

Override ballot vote on council's agenda

Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 7, 2009

Byline: CHAD CAIN

NORTHAMPTON - The City Council will convene behind closed doors to discuss collective bargaining prior to its meeting tonight, just a few hours before its scheduled vote on a request to place a $2 million override before voters in June.

Because councilors will base their decision on whether to call for a special Proposition 2½ election in part on whether the city's 14 unions agree to wage freezes next year, they need to be briefed on the negotiations.

The council's meeting begins at 7:15 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Puchalski Municipal Building with time for public comment, followed immediately by a Finance Committee meeting, after which the regular business is taken up. The executive session is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

The council must vote to put the override question on the ballot on a second reading tonight in order for its results to take effect by July 1, the start of fiscal year 2010. An initial reading passed April 16. A special election would take place June 16 if the council gives the green light.

Fiscal forecast dismal

Meanwhile, state lawmakers are struggling with a grim fiscal forecast for both this and next fiscal year that could continue to play havoc with the city's budget.

During the fiscal year that ends June 30, Massachusetts likely will end up collecting about $3 billion less in revenues than originally predicted and signs are pointing to even worse figures in fiscal 2010, which begins July 1. State tax collections dropped $1 billion last month compared with April of last year.

Mayor Clare Higgins has said that she will not recommend the council put an override before voters unless the unions agree to wage freezes. Should all of the unions agree, the city would be able reduce its $5 million budget gap by $1.6 million.

The six-member deputy fire chiefs agreed to a wage freeze, and Tuesday, the 55-member administrative and professional employees union became the second city union to agree to the freeze.

If the city fails to get concessions from the unions, and an override is not placed before voters, the city would eliminate some 70 positions, including 32 teachers, 14 firefighters and eight police officers.

The override would add about $188 a year in property taxes for the owner of a house assessed at $306,000, the average value of a single-family home in the city.

Northampton City Council to take final vote Thursday on whether to put $2 million Prop. 2½ override on June 16 ballot

The Springfield Republican, May 5, 2009

Byline: FRED CONTRADA

NORTHAMPTON - The City Council will take a final vote on a proposed $2 million Proposition 2½ override Thursday, but the action will likely be little more than a formality.

The council has already given preliminary approval to putting the override on the ballot in a special June 16 election. That vote, taken at the previous meeting last month, was 8-1, with only Ward 7 Councilor Raymond W. LaBarge in opposition.

Mayor Mary Clare Higgins put forth the override as part of a three-pronged effort to offset the effects of a $6.1 million gap in the fiscal 2010 budget. Higgins also plans to cut costs in city government and has asked the 14 unions representing city employees to agree to a wage freeze.

The override, if passed, would channel $1 million back in the School Department budget. Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School would get $180,000, and an additional $760,000 would be distributed among other city departments, including police and fire. Higgins has projected that as many as 100 city jobs will have to be eliminated if the current budget situation remains unchanged.

The council vote is not an endorsement of the override, but simply an agreement to put it on a ballot so that voters can decide. Council President James M. Dostal believes that his colleagues are in agreement that the public should have an opportunity to decide the matter.

"Everyone I've talked to feels that way," he said.

Higgins has threatened to withdraw the override from consideration if the unions do not agree to her proposed wage freeze. Ward 4 Councilor David P. Narkewicz believes the question will go forward with or without Higgins' support.

"The City Council is the approving authority for putting (the override) on the ballot," he said. "There's not really a mechanism for her to withdraw it."

Also on Thursday's agenda is a request for council approval to borrow an additional $4,348,000 to build a new police facility. The council previously authorized borrowing up to $13.6 million for the project, but the additional amount would add significantly to the city's budget starting in 2012.

Although the council approved the borrowing on a first reading, they tabled the matter when it came to final vote last month. Dostal believes it will remain on the table until and unless a new source of funding materializes. The city has thus far been unable to secure any federal stimulus money for the project.

"Everyone is hoping against hope for good news," Narkewicz said.

Northampton officials see scant hope of more money from state

Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 2, 2009

Byline: CHAD CAIN

NORTHAMPTON - City officials are not optimistic about receiving any additional money from the state next fiscal year, especially on the heels of reports this week that show a significant plunge in state tax revenues.

"I'm not willing to say that we have any money until they vote on it," said Mayor Clare Higgins at a special override forum Thursday night. "The numbers are very volatile and heading south fast."

Gov. Deval Patrick is set to discard his nearly $28 billion fiscal 2010 budget and file a dramatically scaled-down version next month to reflect the new dismal projections. Tax collections could dive $1.5 billion below the forecast the governor used when he printed his budget in January, and state government could face a budget deficit of more than $600 million during the remaining two months of the current fiscal year, according to a report from the State House News Service.

Northampton is now facing a local aid reduction next year of slightly more than $2 million, according to figures from the House Ways & Means Committee. That's up from the originally projected $1.5 million.

A new plan approved by the state House of Representatives last week that would send money collected from a new sales tax hike back to cities and towns is also an iffy prospect, Higgins said.

Under that plan, the House agreed to increase the state sales tax from 5 to 6.25 percent, then use proceeds from the planned increase to restore $205 million in unrestricted local aid to cities and towns. In this scenario, Northampton's cut would be $4.5 million.

Higgins notes that the Senate is expected to use a smaller dollar amount when it debates the idea, and that Gov. Deval Patrick has already indicated he would veto the measure should it reach his desk.

"We are not banking on the sales tax money," she said.

Several residents at an override forum Thursday night asked what the influx of money could mean for the city's effort to pass a $2 million Proposition 2½ override. The mayor said plans to ask for an override or pursue other measures to deal with a budget shortfall that now stands at $5 million are moving forward.

She said the state won't settle its budget until late June. By that time, the city will likely have finished negotiations with its unions regarding wage freezes and held a special override election. In the unlikely event that the city gets a pile of money at that time, the tax rate could be lowered.

"The council doesn't have to go to the full max even if it's authorized. We can go less than $2 million," she said.

28 Northampton Teachers Get Pink Slips: School system faces $3-million budget gap

WWLP, May 2, 2009

Eyes on Northampton unions: Two accept wage freeze, while mayor waits on 12 more

Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 2, 2009

Byline: CHAD CAIN

NORTHAMPTON - With two union agreements in hand, Mayor Clare Higgins is hoping members of the remaining 12 labor unions will agree to freeze their wages before the City Council votes Thursday on a request place a $2 million override before city voters.

"I hope to have some good news early next week," Mayor Clare Higgins said Friday morning.

Higgins has asked members of all 14 of the city employee unions to forgo salary increases next year in a move that would slice $1.6 million off a $5 million budget gap the city is facing in fiscal 2010. She's also asked the City Council to call a June 16 special election at which residents would weigh in on the Proposition 2½ general override.

The two issues are separate, but Higgins believes that the city should not ask residents to raise their taxes unless the unions make what she's called a "shared sacrifice."

At a public forum Thursday, the mayor announced that a second union has joined the six-member deputy fire chiefs in agreeing to a wage freeze. That 55-member union, the Northampton Administrative and Professional Employees Association, is made up of managers and technical employees.

Talks with the remaining dozen unions, including the 255-member teachers union, have been under way for several weeks. (A Gazette report Thursday incorrectly stated the firefighters union, rather than the deputy chiefs union, had agreed to a wage freeze.)

Higgins declined to discuss specific concerns the union has regarding wage freezes, and efforts to reach the presidents of both the teachers union and the firefighters union were unsuccessful Friday.

If the city fails to get concessions before the council meeting Thursday, the mayor will recommend that councilors not place the override before voters. In that scenario, the city would eliminate some 70 positions, including 32 teachers, 14 firefighters and eight police officers.

The projected layoffs could have been even higher had the city not reached an agreement with a new health insurance carrier earlier this month that brought its once-projected $6.1 million gap down by about $1 million.

Even if a wage freeze happens and an override passes, the city will still lay off eight to 10 people, while the school department would lose no more than four positions, Higgins said.

Union acquiescence a question

If the teachers union is any indication, the mayor has an uphill battle. At the union's annual meeting last week, many teachers voiced their displeasure of what they said are "tactics" Higgins is using to force a wage freeze, according to one teacher at the session.

"They feel bullied by her. It's not how I feel, but everybody is in a different place," said Julie Spencer-Robinson, a sixth-grade teacher at JFK Middle School.

Spencer-Robinson, who was initially opposed to the wage freeze but was swayed by the mayor's argument during a recent faculty meeting, said most of the speakers at the annual meeting said they would not accept the mayor's offer. There are many teachers who didn't attend who support the override, so it's hard to tell how the union would vote given the chance, she said.

Higgins maintains said she is not trying to coerce the unions, but rather is attempting to deal with a bleak financial situation. She said that all residents are affected by the recession, whether they work in government or for a private company. Their wages are being frozen, health insurance premiums are going up and day-to-day living expenses are on the rise. Asking residents to pay more taxes without first doing everything the city can to control costs, including sacrifices from union members, is "unconscionable."

"You can say no or make a counteroffer," the mayor said in response to a comment that many teachers feel coerced.

Some teachers object to the wage freeze because of the impact it would have on retirement packages that are calculated based on the last three years' worth of an employee's wages, said Spencer-Robinson. Newer teachers, however, pointed out at the same meeting that they are facing losing their jobs outright, not just the loss of a few hundred dollars.

Other teachers, especially those who live in Northampton, voiced concern that they would suffer a triple hit should they agree to a wage freeze, see property taxes go up and pay a higher amount for health insurance.

"I hope our union comes back with a counteroffer," said Spencer-Robinson. "I hope it's not dismissed out of hand." Several counterproposals were supported by union members, including an early retirement plan and asking for a 1 percent raise instead of a 3 percent raise.

'Hamp override draws foes, backers

The Springfield Republican, May 1, 2009

Byline: DAVID A. VALLETTE

NORTHAMPTON - Residents on Thursday night wanted to know how long a proposed Proposition 2½ override would remain on the books.

"This is going to go on until the end of time," said retired police officer Eugene LaFrance during a forum at the John F. Kennedy Middle School.

"It isn't a one-year stop-gap," he said.

LaFrance was one of many who spoke, both for and against, the proposed $2 million override.

Pamela Schwartz, who is a member of the "Vote Yes! Northampton" committee pushing for the override, said the cuts in city personnel and services that would have to be made if the override fails and a $2 million budget bite proves necessary, is something residents should be scared of.

They should feel, she said, "a little imperiled" by reductions among police and firefighters, as outlined in a preliminary cutting plan issued by Mayor Mary Clare Higgins.

"It's not scare tactics," Schwartz said.

On May 7, the City Council is scheduled to vote whether to put the override on the ballot of a special election. That election for voters would be held June 16. Proposition 2½ overrides allow communities to raise property taxes above the 2½ percent limit set by state law if voters approve.

As spelled out by Higgins, for the fiscal 2010 city budget, the state is providing $2 million less than it did this year, while the city also faces a jump in basic costs of about $4 million.

While changes in employee health insurance will save about $1 million, the city will still go into the new year, starting July 1, with a major funding shortage.

Along with seeking the override to make up for the $2 million state aid drop, a long list of measures is to be taken, said Higgins, including keeping vacant positions vacant, and laying people off, including teachers and police.

"We've squeezed as much as we can ... we're at the point of asking for an override," she said.

The additional taxes for the owner of a home of the city average value of $306,109 would be $188 per year, Higgins said.

Marilyn Richards, chairwoman of "Vote Yes! Northampton," said that along with the override the city will have to do some creating thinking and find ways to add to its revenue stream.

Needed, she said, is "any out-of-the-box thinking we can come up with."

Leonard A. Maggiolino, however, called for the city to be run as a business, and as such, trim to fit its revenue.

"We all have to live within our means," he said.

Pro and con: Northampton speaks on override

Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 1, 2009

Byline: Chad Cain

NORTHAMPTON - If elected officials ever needed proof that residents view an increase in their property taxes in vastly different ways, all they had to do was listen to two city residents who spoke back-to-back Thursday night at a special forum to discuss a proposed $2 million override that may go before voters in June.

Up first was Joe Tarantino, of North Elm Street, who came to the forum armed with his $5,500 annual property tax bill and a pointed question for many of the elected officials in attendance from the City Council, School Committee and trustees of both Smith Vocational and Technical College.

"I want to know where the value is?" he said, pointing out that he has no children in school and rarely uses city services. "I'm not very sympathetic to the conclusions that people like me are undertaxed."

Next came Rachel Simpson, who owns three properties in the city and in recent weeks both she and her husband have lost their jobs. Yet that won't deter her from voting in favor of the override should she get the chance.

"I don't know how I will pay my grocery bills ... but I do know that I'm going to vote for it," she said. "It's part of my job if I choose to live here."

Tarantino and Simpson were just two of dozens of people who spoke at the forum that drew about 100 residents..

At issue is whether the City Council should move ahead next week with a second and final vote whether to place the Proposition 2½ override before voters in a special election June 16. The council is expected to make a decision on May 7.

The override would add about $188 a year in property taxes for the owner of a house assessed at $306,000, the average value of a single-family home in the city. It is one of several measures the city is eyeing as a way to close the worst budget shortfall in years. Once $6.1 million, Higgins said the gap has been reduced by about $1 million thanks to a new health insurance plan that reduces the increase in insurances from a projected 20 percent to 6 percent.

The gap would shrink by another $1.6 million if the city's 14 unions agree to wage freezes next year. Higgins said two unions have agreed to do so - the deputy fire chiefs and the administrative professional association - and that negotiations with the other dozen unions continue. All non-union city employees will not receive raises next year.

"It's a really hard thing to ask ... they have the same rising costs as everybody else does, but I'm really worried about the unemployment as well as the loss of services," she said.

Higgins has said that she would not recommend placing the override before voters unless the unions make similar sacrifices to those the city is asking from residents. She noted that if the override be passed without these wage freezes, all but $400,000 of the $2 million in additional taxes would be needed to pay the salary increases.

One audience member, Ellen Hirschberg, of Washington Avenue, called this tactic a coercion.

The mayor disagreed. She said that all residents are affected by the recession. "There are a lot of places in the world that are not giving raises this year," Higgins said.

Ultimately, the council must decide whether to move the override question forward. Some audience members urged them to do so.

"I urge you to put the override on the ballot regardless of what the unions decide," said Garrett Adams, of Crescent Street, a teacher who said many of his colleagues feel that their arms are being twisted regarding the wage-freeze issue.

"We are willing to give, but it won't necessarily be what's asked," he said.

Other opponents had problems with the permanency of a general override. Proposition 2½ limits the increase in the property tax levy to 2.5 percent each year. With voter approval, an override allows communities to increase property taxes beyond this limit.

"Nobody has mentioned how long we are going to pay for this override," said Eugene LaFrance. "It will not be for one year. It is going to be forever. This isn't a one-year stopgap."

LaFrance said increasing taxes when a recession is "falling in around us" is not smart, and he faulted city administration for unwise spending in the past.

Higgins noted that nothing forbids the council from cutting the tax levy or not taxing up to the $2 million limit every year.

Undecided voter Dana Carpenter asked if there was any way a general override can increase taxes for a short period of time until the economy bounces back.

"For the short term, it makes sense," said Carpenter, of Round Hill Road.

Higgins said she would check with the Department of Revenue about a two-part ballot question, but she questioned whether the city would ever catch up given the amount of compounded revenue the state has cut from its budget since 2003. The city still hasn't recovered from that cut six years ago.

Op Ed: Tax override is community's choice

Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 29, 2009

By: Mayor Mary Clare Higgins