Council Unanimously Approves Series Of Budget Measures 

Report On The Meeting Of The Amherst Town Council, June 12, 2023

This meeting was held in hybrid format and was recorded. It can be viewed here.

Present
Councilors present in Town Hall: Lynn Griesemer (President, District 2), Cathy Schoen (District 1), Pat DeAngeles (District 2), Pam Rooney (District 4), Ana Devlin Gauthier (District 5), Mandi Jo Hanneke (At Large). Councilors participating remotely: Dorothy Pam and Jennifer Taub (District 3), Anika Lopes (District 4), Andy Steinberg and Ellisha Walker (At Large)

Absent: Michele Miller (District 1) 

Staff Present In Town Hall: Paul Bockelman (Town Manager) and Athena O’Keeffe (Clerk of the Council) 

All Budget Measures Approved
The Council approved unanimously, and without much discussion the $75.4 million Town Operating Budget, the $6 million Capital Improvement Budget, appropriations for a new pumper truck for the Fire Department ($75,000), and $400,000 to replace pump station 4.

The public forum preceding the regular council meeting was devoted to discussing the allocation of the $164,500 remaining in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds into reserves. That money had been set aside for repairs of the North Amherst Church if a suitable proposal for the repairs was submitted. Allocating those unused funds to reserves would make them available for use in FY 2024 if an eligible project arose. 

During public comment, resident Lauren Mills spoke for using those funds for a BIPOC teen center, as recommended by the Community Safety Working Group in its 2021 report. She suggested a program similar to the Eagle Eye Institute nature program affiliated with the Kestrel Land Trust. Vira Cage spoke of the vibrant young people present at the Race Amity Day/Youth Hero picnic and basketball tournament at the Mill River Recreation Area June 11. She said these “wonderful” young people deserve a youth center and mentoring. Councilor Dorothy Pam (District 3) agreed that a place for youth should be a priority for the town. The allocation of the unspent CPA funds to reserves also passed unanimously.

Other public comments included Birdie Newman, who felt the town’s budget did not reflect its commitment to ending structural racism because it increases the police budget and level-funds the Community Responders for Equity, Safety & Service (CRESS) program. Pat Ononibaku decried the fact that existing Black-owned businesses in town received no American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. She said she does not feel her councilors represent her or her family and that her tax dollars don’t benefit her.

Councilors Ellisha Walker (At large) and Dorothy Pam questioned how ARPA funds were awarded to town businesses and asked that the topic be added to a future agenda. Council President Lynn Griesemer said she will add it to the agenda of the June 26 meeting.

Budget appropriations all passed unanimously with 1 absent.

New Snow And Ice Removal Bylaw Nearing Completion 
The council’s Governance, Organization, and Legislation (GOL) Committee has been working on updating General Bylaw 3.40, Snow and Ice Removal, which was flagged by the bylaw committee in 2019 as needing revision. The revision is almost complete. In addition to property owners being responsible for clearing the sidewalks in front of their homes or businesses of snow and ice in the winter, the proposed bylaw includes keeping the sidewalks clear of other obstructions, such as overhanging vegetation and trash containers. In the past, there has been confusion about who residents should contact about obstructions on sidewalks. The draft bylaw puts Inspection Services in charge of enforcement. The bylaw does not differentiate whether the sidewalk abuts a town or state road. All sidewalks are included.

Councilor Cathy Schoen (District 1) worried that the seven-foot clearance mandated in the bylaw may not be high enough for someone on a bicycle. Bicycling on the sidewalk is allowed outside of the downtown area. Ana Devlin Gauthier (District 5) wanted residents to receive a warning before being fined, and to have that warning included in the bylaw. 

These suggestions will be taken back to GOL. The new bylaw will come to a vote at the June 26 meeting.

Council Waives Its Rules For ZBA Interviews
The Community Resources Committee (CRC) has scheduled interviews for two full and four associate positions on the Zoning Board of Appeals on June 15 at 11:30. According to the council policy on appointments to multiple member bodies passed in September, 2021, all statements of interest of applicants must be posted one week prior to the interviews. However, in the evening of June 11, CRC Chair Mandi Jo Hanneke (At large) received an email from a former applicant to the ZBA asking to be considered for the July 1 vacancies. Hanneke asked the council whether it should waive its policy to allow the late applicant to participate in the interviews.

One of the five applicants, previously declared, Paul Peelle, withdrew his application, so there were four applicants for the six vacancies, although all of the associate positions do not need to be filled at this time. Councilor Pam noted the need for good people to serve on the voluntary boards. Pat DeAngelis (District 2) worried about waiving council policies “every time there is a glitch.”

In the end, the council voted 12-0 to allow the additional applicant to interview. That applicant is Attorney Everald Henry. His statement of interest can be read here. 

Town Manager Report
Bockelman reported that Amherst’s CRESS program is becoming known throughout the country. The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard has admitted CRESS as one of the cohorts in its governance pre-performance labs for the coming year. In its year of existence, there has only been one turnover in staff. 

He also announced that those guests of Craig’s Doors staying at the University Motor Lodge will be moving to the first floor of the Econo Lodge in Hadley this weekend. The congregate shelter will remain at the Immanuel Lutheran Church. He said the Econo Lodge has more suitable accommodations and better access to public transportation to Northampton and other area towns.

The Department of Public Works reports that construction is ready to begin on the replacement of the Centennial Water Treatment Facility and a new gravity belt thickener. The town is close to signing a contract for repaving roads and sidewalks.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:48. The next council meeting is scheduled for June 26.