NORTHFIELD — During back-to-back Annual and Special Town Meetings Monday afternoon, voters will be asked to approve funding for new public safety equipment and renovation projects at Northfield Elementary School and other town buildings.
Town Coordinator Andrea Llamas explained the town chose to split the warrant into two parts, with the Annual Town Meeting warrant containing articles that need to be addressed as soon as possible. The Special Town Meeting warrant has articles that can be approved at a later date, if necessary, meaning voters can opt to postpone it.
“The annual is the omnibus (budget), stuff that needs to get done this summer,” Llamas noted. The proposed omnibus budget is roughly $8.3 million.
Monday’s meetings will be held outdoors on the soccer field at Pioneer Valley Regional School. The Annual Town Meeting starts at 5 p.m. and the Special Town Meeting follows immediately after.
Llamas said residents will only be allowed to arrive via the Route 10 entrance and check-in will be conducted. Residents are required to wear masks, and bring their own chair and umbrella. Areas will be sectioned off to enforce social distancing.
“We don’t expect it to be controversial,” Llamas said of the warrants. “Having said that, people are likely going to have questions and want things answered.”
Two articles ask to approve expenses for EMS and Fire Department equipment. One seeks $15,000 to purchase a new power unit for the Jaws of Life and other rescue gear. Another requests $37,000 from the Emergency Services Enterprise Fund to replace the current ambulance cardiac monitor which, according to the warrant, “has reached the end of its usual life and can no longer be serviced.”
Voters will also be asked to provide $159,000 for completion of several projects at Northfield Elementary School. These projects include repair of the phone, intercom and clock systems, an update to the fire alarm system and replacement of carpet and tile.
Nearly all of the articles on the Annual Town Meeting warrant have been recommended by the Finance Committee. In a report included with the warrant, Finance Committee members said they support the budget requests for fiscal year 2021, and consider the requests “reasonable and necessary to provide the services that are needed by our residents.”
One of the Finance Committee’s recommendations is a cost-of-living increase of 1.6 percent to town employee salaries. The committee also recommends approving the Pioneer Valley Regional School District assessment of roughly $4.4 million, as well as the assessment of $462,069 to be paid to Franklin County Technical School.
“The coming fiscal year will be challenging. However, the proposed budget is intended to sufficiently fund the current level of services and maintain the town’s financial health,” Finance Committee members wrote. “These recommendations have been determined following several months of evaluation and careful consideration of all the materials provided by town departments, boards and committees at several public open meetings.”
All but one of the Special Town Meeting articles is recommended by the Finance Committee as being essential at this time. The only article not considered essential is a request for roughly $7,000 to repair the aging and damaged Charles Preston Memorial in the main lobby of Town Hall.
One article asks to transfer $20,000 from the Town Hall electrical project account for the installation and operation of an electric vehicle charging station. Other articles ask voters to appropriate $15,000 for Town Hall security improvements, and $2,250 for a locking safe so the treasurer can store cash and checks.
If approved, one article, for $35,000, would support the purchase and installation of a ventilation system in the town garage to remove the fumes from the trucks running, painting and welding.
Two more articles relate to Police Department equipment. One asks to appropriate $56,000 for new police cruiser. The other asks to transfer $10,018 from free cash to purchase a new radio system and microphones because the county’s emergency radio system is converting to digital technology, as opposed to the current analog system.
The warrants for the Annual Town Meeting and Special Town Meeting can be viewed together at bit.ly/2YwYcnQ.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.