ERVING — Voters will have the chance to weigh in on nine articles during Monday’s Special Town Meeting, many of which deal with financial matters.
The articles include appropriating a combined $340,000 to address mid-year health insurance increases, a General Fund Stabilization transfer of $742,482 to the assessors budget to address interest costs related to an Appellate Tax Board case, and a vote on whether to change the treasurer position from elected to appointed.
The meeting will be held on Monday, March 2, at 7 p.m. at the Erving Senior & Community Center, 1 Care Drive.
Health insurance impact
Article 6 addresses health insurance increases, which have been a budget stressor impacting several municipalities across Franklin County.
Erving is a member of the Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust, which has experienced a round of rate increases since the start of fiscal year 2026.
Due to rising pharmaceutical claims, largely associated with GLP-1 drugs, the trust implemented a mid-year rate increase of 20% that took effect in October, after having already increased the rate by 18% heading into FY26. The decision was made to help the trust cover expenses and rebuild its reserves, which had dropped from $20 million in January 2024 to less than $5 million by July 2025.
At the start of FY26, Erving saw a $204,407 increase in its health insurance budget from the 18% increase. To address this, Erving is asking voters to authorize a transfer of $280,000 from free cash, and $60,000 from the Water Enterprise Fund into the General Fund Health Insurance line item to cover the rest of the FY26 funding needed from Oct. 1 through June 30, per the projection made by the Treasurer’s Office.
Previewing the FY27 budget, Town Administrator Bryan Smith said the vote taken by the trust on Feb. 25 increased rates by 12.48%, which was less than the town was anticipating.
“I do think, given what occurred last year, our subscribers are really feeling the weight of that mid-year increase,” Smith said, “and to have the increase for FY27 be less than it could have been, I’m hoping will serve as a bit of a sign that we’re moving in a better direction.”
Appellate Tax Board case
Another high-ticket financial article that voters will be asked to consider is Article 5, the transfer of $742,482 from the General Stabilization Fund into the assessors’ FY26 operating budget following an Appellate Tax Board case between the town and Northfield Mountain LLC over disputed valuations. The town lost the case in court.
Valuations were settled for fiscal years 2020, 2021 and 2022 in October. On top of the roughly $2.4 million abatement to the utility company that was decided by the Appellate Tax Board and paid out from the Assessors Overlay Account, the $742,482 requested at Special Town Meeting is the amount of interest accrued from the case that took more than a year and a half to complete. While these valuations have been settled, contested valuations from fiscal years 2023, 2024 and 2025 are still ongoing.
In his view, Smith sees this case as being indicative of the impact that the Northfield Mountain project has on the town’s tax base. He believes there may be questions as to what the assessors can do to find a “safeguard from fluctuations” in property valuations.
“I know the assessors are aware of that and that they take this very seriously,” he said. “We’ve offered whatever support we can to the assessing office to support whatever they need to do next and to try to prevent this type of fluctuation again in the future.”
Treasurer position
Outside of the financial articles, voters will be asked to revisit a proposal for making the town treasurer an appointed position, rather than elected, in Article 9.
According to a Greenfield Recorder article in February 2015, voters opted during a Special Town Meeting at that time to keep the treasurer’s position elected in a 25-12 vote.
Smith explained that this vote comes back to voters at a time of transition for Treasurer Jennifer Watroba, who will not seek reelection when her term expires on June 30. Watroba was elected in 2023.
“I think what is really important for people to understand is that this position has broad statutory authority,” Smith explained, adding that the treasurer handles the town’s payroll and employee benefits, as well as oversight of the annual budget of more than $14 million and $20 million in investment funds.
Watroba, the Selectboard and the Finance Committee have all shared their support for this matter returning to the voters, Smith said. The question for voters is whether they wish to see the position appointed through a hiring process, with a job description and prerequisites to find the most qualified candidate for the position, or if the electoral process can bring about a qualified candidate in town.
Other articles
Other articles that voters will be asked to approve include Article 8, to affirm that the town has $200,000 in matching funds for the Massachusetts School Building Authority project for a roof replacement and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) upgrades at Erving Elementary School. The town voted to appropriate this amount during the May 2025 Annual Town Meeting. This is not a new appropriation of an additional $200,000, Smith clarified, and includes required voting language from the MSBA.
Voters will also be asked to authorize the Selectboard to sign a five-year agreement with a vendor for $6,000 per year for maintenance of police Tasers and equipment, which will be paid for out of the police operating budget.
A full copy of the Special Town Meeting warrant is available at tinyurl.com/2tz6e663.