Hadley Voters Weigh Permanent $2.25 Million Override at Packed Town Meeting

HADLEY — September 9, 2025 — Hadley holds packed special town meeting on $2.25 million Proposition 2.5 operating override. More than 600 residents convened September 9 to vote on Article 1, a $2,250,624 override backed 5-0 by the Select Board but supported by only three of eight Finance Committee members, with Chair Amy Feiden switching to a no vote on the night. The ask was driven primarily by an 18 percent health insurance premium increase built into the fiscal year 2026 budget, followed by a mid-year notification of an additional 20 percent hike from the Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust — a $816,000 single-year jump against an eight-year cumulative increase of just $233,460. Interim Town Administrator Mike Mason warned the trust had depleted $3 million in reserves within months due to cancer claims and GLP-1 drug costs, and that a further double-digit increase is expected in July 2026. Finance Committee member Andy Klopaki called the current proposal "a permanent 16.7 percent increase" that the town's property owners should not bear alone, while Vice Chair Paul Benjamin urged approval, saying, "the people you're actually going to hit are the people who are doing all the work for our town." A second article seeking $300,000 for a capital stabilization fund also went to a ballot vote; both measures require a subsequent town election and an October fall town meeting appropriation to take effect.