Hadley Finance Committee Eyes $1.9 Million Override to Sustain Current Town Services

HADLEY -- July 9, 2025, Hadley Finance Committee begins planning a $1.9 million operational override to sustain current town services. The committee met July 9 with Town Administrator Mike Feiden and Finance Director Linda, who presented a preliminary figure of roughly $950,000 for fire and EMS operations, including the town's second-call ambulance service, and an equivalent amount for all other municipal departments, with officials noting that nearly $850,000 of the total replaces free cash previously used to balance the FY26 budget and represents no new spending. A September 9 Special Town Meeting is targeted, with four public forums scheduled between July 29 and August 21; a ballot vote would follow within 45 days. Officials estimated the override would push the town's residential tax rate from $11.63 to roughly $13 to $13.50 per thousand, a roughly 12 to 13 percent increase. The committee also voted 3-0, with two abstentions, to send a letter supporting state legislation that would update franchise fee funding for public-access television stations, which Hadley Media says will exhaust its current revenue base by FY28.