The override, which passed 6,056 to 4,641 on Tuesday, enables the city to raise taxes for fiscal 2014 by $2.5 million beyond the 2 ½ percent limit set by state law.
Mayor David J. Narkewicz NORTHAMPTON – The City Council voted Thursday to amend the fiscal 2014 budget to reflect an additional $2.5 million that comes courtesy of an override approved this week by voters.
The additional revenue brings the total budget to $98.76 million. The lion's share of the override, $1 million, is going into the School Department budget. Another $773,715 is being used to create an override stabilization fund that will help the city fill its budget needs for the next three years.
Mayor David J. Narkewicz addressed the council, explaining in some detail how the override money will be used to restore cuts in various departments. An emotional issue that divided the city, the override debate spilled over into the meeting with councilors Eugene Tacy and Pamela Schwartz exchanging words.
The override, which passed 6,056 to 4,641 on Tuesday, enables the city to raise taxes for fiscal 2014 by $2.5 million beyond the 2 ½ percent limit set by state law. For the owner of a $297,000 house, the average home value in Northampton, it will mean a $235 property tax increase.
Narkewicz proposed the override as a way to avoid some 22 job cuts, most of them in the School Department, and to fill a $1.4 million gap in the $96.2 million budget. The council gave preliminary approval to that budget at its last meeting. Thursday’s was scheduled so that it could amend it to include the override funds.
Voters have gone both ways on overrides in recent years. In 2009, they approved a $2 million override by a comfortable margin. A 2004 ballot question lost by eight votes. In 2010, voters approved a $10 million debt exclusion override to finance the new police station. Debt exclusion overrides differ from general ones in that they come off the tax rolls when the projects are paid for.
Also at Thursday's meeting the council endorsed resolutions to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and to regulate high capacity weapons. The latter resolution was put forth by the Youth Commission. It tabled a "vibrant sidewalks" resolution by Councilor Maureen Carney about use of the downtown sidewalks. That resolution came in the wake of Narkewicz' decision to remove six benches from Main Street. He has since restored them. Several councilors said they preferred to hold a public hearing on the topics and invite downtown merchants to express their thoughts.
A resolution to prevent the U.S. government from using airspace for drones was referred to other committees for discussion.