ARPA approved to fund STM and STE for Jabish Brook

BELCHERTOWN – The Selectboard approved using $44,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to conduct the Special Town Meeting and Special Town Election to vote on the Jabish Brook Middle School project. 

There is about $50,000 in ARPA funding left following this approval. 

Town Administrator Steve Williams told the board he was in contact with the school department to help funding the election and town meeting and so far, has been able to find about $5,000 to $7,500. 

“What I’m asking tonight is that we reserve the entire amount of ARPA funding (for the election and town meeting) and allow me to continue to work with the superintendent to try to identify any other funds,” Williams said. 

There was previous discussion regarding holding one meeting by combining the annual town meeting and the special town meeting, but Williams said there were many roadblocks preventing the town from doing so. 

Issues included the need to rent more clickers, the cost savings would be $2,500 rather than the anticipated $10,000 and others. 

Williams said he recommended that the special town meeting be inside rather than out. 

“I really need to start setting up contracts with vendors,” he said. 

Selectboard member Ron Aponte said he supposed the vote to use ARPA funds to allow for planning to move forward.

“I’m comfortable doing that and trusting (Superintendent Brian) Cameron and the school committee to come up with additional funding,” Aponte said. “At least this way Steve has the $44,000 he can start to line up contracts without having wait another week, two weeks, whatever for the superintendent and school committee to wring out every penny.”

Selectboard chair Ed Boscher asked how the town would pay for the election and town meeting if the ARPA funding were not available. 

Williams said the number of elections this year, including a potential election due to a petition, are costly and the town would look for the school to cover the entirety of the Special Town Meeting and Special Town Election were it not for the ARPA funds being available for use. 

Another option for the town would be using free cash, but the town enacted a policy this year that it would only use a certain percentage of free cash and the election would be over that amount. 

Selectboard member Jen Turner said she couldn’t support using the funds. 

“We spent $700,000 between the FY24 and FY24 budgets to go back into the budget to cover our own deficit,” said Turner. “There’s no justification I can come up with to use this money for this purpose.”

Selectboard member Peg Louraine said the meeting and election need to occur and if it doesn’t come out of ARPA funding, it would need to come from somewhere else. 

“The expense is going to hit us one way or the other, it’s coming out of something,” she said. “Where will it cause the most pain?”

Selectboard member Lesa Lessard Pearson agreed with Turner. 

The Selectboard unanimously approved using ARPA funds to be able to hold the Special Town Meeting and the Special Town Election.

To determine whether the project will move forward, there will be a special town election and a special town meeting. Voters will determine whether to support the Jabish Brook Middle School project at the proposed cost. 

Both votes, the article at the special town meeting and in the special town election, must pass for the project to continue. 

The special town election will be held on June 17 from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. in the Belchertown High School gym. The voter registration deadline for the Special Town Election is June 7. 

There will be early in-person voting available at the Belchertown Town Hall on June 5, 6, 7, 10, 11 and 12. 

The Special Town Meeting to appropriate funds for the projects will be held on June 24 at 7 p.m. in the Belchertown High School Auditorium. Voter registration for the Special Town Meeting is June 14.

Early in-person or by-mail voting is not allowed for town meetings, voters must be present in person to vote.