Special Town Council Meeting on April 14 Will Consider Motion to Rescind Borrowing for the Jones Library Expansion Project

The Amherst Town Council will hold a Special Meeting on Monday, April 14, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. “to consider the financial costs and risks of the Jones Library Expansion and Renovation project and to vote on rescinding the two appropriation and borrowing authorizations for this project.

The meeting was called by Councilors Cathy Schoen (District 1), Jennifer Taub (District 4), and Bob Hegner (District 5) under Section 2.6 d iii of the Amherst Home Rule Charter which allows special meetings of the Town Council to be called by three or more councilors, for any reason.  

In their call for the meeting, Schoen, Taub, and Hegner indicated that they intend to make the following motion:

Move to rescind Appropriation and Borrowing Order FY21-06C an order that approved and authorized bond authorization for $36,279,000 and to rescind the 2023 Supplemental appropriation for the expansion and renovation of the Jones Library, said sum to supplement the amount appropriated under the Town Council’s April 5, 2021 Order Approving and Authorizing Borrowing of Funds for the Expansion and Renovation of the Jones Library, $9,860,100 (December 18, 2023)

They added, “We further instruct the Town Manager not to sign any contracts that would commit the Town to proceed with the project until after this requested Special Town Council meeting has occurred and a vote to rescind has taken place.” 

As of this writing, an announcement of meeting has been added to the Town Council webpage but has not yet been posted to the calendar. As soon as that occurs, this report will be amended to include the Zoom link. An agenda has not yet been posted to the meeting packet.