Split Amherst Finance Committee endorses towns $103.3M budget, council preps to vote Monday

AMHERST — As a divided Finance Committee recommends the Town Council adopt the $103.3 million fiscal year 2026 spending plan brought forward by Town Manager Paul Bockelman, members are preparing a letter to school officials advising them that a portion of the elementary school budget is to be considered a one-time gift.

In advance of the expected vote by the Town Council on Monday on the budget that includes money for town, school and library operations, councilors serving on the Finance Committee on June 3 voted 3-2, with both resident members also in support, to endorse the full budget.

But At Large Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke, as a member of the Finance Committee, said she couldn’t support the budget because it’s unclear that the $269,704 in free cash for the $28.32 million elementary schools budget won’t be needed again in fiscal year 2027. Hanneke said she is concerned that the consolidation from three to two elementary schools in fall 2026 won’t lead to actual savings.

While the new school is to be a net-zero building, there are costs associated with the school district needing to create a 6th Grade Academy, likely to be carved out of the Amherst Regional Middle School, when both Wildwood and Fort River schools close.

The worries over the use of free cash is prompting the Town Council to possibly endorse a letter that would go to the Amherst School Committee and school leaders stating explicitly that $28.05 million is the base fiscal year 2026 budget from which the fiscal year 2027 budget will be built, and requesting acknowledgment of this.

“Such reserves are normally intended for emergencies and unexpected expenses, not for operating budgets,” the letter states. “The council is making an exception to ease the transition to the consolidations of the schools.”

The concern is that school officials may build the next budget from the higher base, much as happened this year with the regional schools budget, even after Amherst put $355,440 of its assessment forward as a gift, using American Rescue Plan Act money.

The other no vote on the budget came from At Large Councilor Ellisha Walker, who said she understands there is no mechanism for proposing an increase when disagreeing with an aspect of the proposal. She worries about Bockelman’s recommendation to freeze two of the Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service positions.

“If there’s something that I disagree with, this is my option, so I would like to utilize this option at this time because I just absolutely cannot support a budget that freezes CRESS responders,” Walker said.

At Large Councilor Andy Steinberg said councilors can’t enlarge the budget, but are entitled to reject it or reduce it. “I recognize there are many places we might like to see additional funding,” Steinberg said.

The other parts of the budget include a $19.74 million assessment for the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools, which will have a $37.08 million budget; a $29.5 million operating budget for the town, including police, fire and public works operations; and $2.39 million in tax support for the Jones Library.

In the memo written by District 1 Councilor Cathy Schoen, who chairs the Finance Committee, the worries are outlined.

“This year’s budget required difficult decisions by the town and schools to stay within the projected FY26,” Schoen wrote. “With costs rising faster than revenue, there were staffing reductions in multiple areas.”

“All Finance Committee members share the concern that our budget is fragile: revenue increases are not keeping up with the costs of salaries, benefits and increased costs of utilities and other operating expenses.”

Scott Merzbach can be reached at [email protected].