HAWLEY — Residents breezed through adopting the Annual Town Meeting warrant’s 20 articles Monday evening, wrapping up the meeting in about 22 minutes.
Twenty-four voters showed up to the Town Offices parking lot at 8 Pudding Hollow Road to conduct Hawley’s business in a way that allowed for social distancing. Those in attendance adopted a $1.1 million budget for fiscal year 2022, which includes $525,880 for Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont regional school districts, as well as Franklin County Technical School. The town’s general budget of $537,478 — a figure that excludes appropriations for the three school districts — is 1.72 percent less than its current budget.
According to information shared by Virginia Gabert, town treasurer and assistant to the Board of Assessors, the adopted overall budget — including the school district appropriations — represents a 1.9 percent reduction from the current year’s budget and includes a 1.5 percent cost-of-living increase for the town’s hourly employees. There is no increase in the pay of salaried positions. Gabert reported that the budget is level-funded as much as possible and was “reduced in some places based on historic spending and anticipated need.”
When voters got to the article regarding paying up to $7,500 for ambulance services provided by Charlemont Ambulance during fiscal year 2022, Gabert informed moderator Kirby “Lark” Thwing that a funding source must be identified before the article could be adopted. She recommended the money be raised and appropriated through taxes “because … assuming the agreement goes forward, it is going to be an annual expense.” Thwing got unanimous consensus from the voters before they opted to adopt the article, which is contingent upon Charlemont signing a contract agreed to by the Selectboard and town counsel.
The two towns became deadlocked earlier this year when Charlemont requested that Hawley pay for its ambulance services — which Selectboard Chair Hussain Hamdan previously said Hawley hasn’t done in the past decade, due to there being no formal agreement — and Hawley refused, without first reviewing Charlemont Ambulance’s financials, which Charlemont declined to provide.
Hamdan has previously said that, regardless of a primary service agreement with Charlemont Ambulance, Hawley residents will receive ambulance services through mutual aid agreements with Shelburne Falls, Colrain, Highland Ambulance and Hilltown Community Ambulance, among others.
Voters also adopted an article to allow the Mohawk Trail Regional School District to borrow not more than $665,000 for work at Mohawk Trail Regional School in Buckland. This work includes replacing the boiler control system; resealing the parking lots; and replacing the fire alarm control panel and related sensors, among other improvements.
Thwing mentioned Monday’s Annual Town Meeting went smoothly and expediently, though there was one that finished in 17 minutes. Town Clerk Pamela Shrimpton said the 24 people in attendance exceeded the necessary 10-person quorum.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or
413-772-0261, ext. 262.