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SPENCER – With votes of 87-48 and 70-45, Town Meeting members on May 1 approved contingency appropriation questions on the warrant related to a Proposition 2 ½ override.
The next step is for voters town-wide to determine the fate of the override by casting their ballots during the May 13 election.
The townspeople will be asked to fund a Proposition 2 ½ override totaling $1,348,390 to be spread out over three years for the following: $830,000 to pay the regional school district’s required local contribution; $150,000 for the Spencer Rescue Squad contract; and $368,390 to fund four firefighters currently paid for by a grant.
Additionally, the second question seeks $211,500 to fund a highway department employee ($88,500) and a police officer ($123,000).
Town administrator Jeff Bridges noted overall, it would mean 88 cents added to the tax rate, which is currently $11.64.
The average home is valued at $393,739. Re-evaluations of homes will take place next year, Bridges said.
There were few questions posed to the department heads speaking on behalf of the requests.
Pat George, president of the Spencer Rescue Squad, explained that the current contract set in 2018 at $225,000, would rise by $150,000 over three years up to $375,000. The Rescue Squad has been hit hard by 30% inflation, the cost of insurance doubling and the price of ambulances increasing dramatically, he noted.
“The price of everything has gone crazy,” George said.
Fire Chief Robert Parsons noted that the grant for the four firefighters expires in February of 2027. He spoke about the difficulty of finding call firefighters and the additional time it takes them to travel from their homes to the station, get the gear on and then proceed to a fire call.
Using the recent fire on Northwest Road as an example, Parsons said the 12 minutes it took for firefighters at the station to arrive at the blaze would have instead been 30 minutes.
The four firefighters enable the station to be manned 24 hours per day and provide a response time “out the door” of two to three minutes instead of 15 to 17 minutes, he said.
In addition to 150 more calls than a decade ago, there are numerous calls where the fire department assists the Spencer Rescue Squad in transporting people to hospitals, according to the fire chief.
“The citizens of Spencer deserve the best service we can provide,” Parsons said.
A few Town Meeting members asked about the timing of the request given that the grant does not run out until February 2027.
Bridges said the selectmen underwent an “arduous,” process, determining it would be better to have a “fiscal plan,” rather than come back year after year seeking overrides.
The town administrator spoke about the required minimum school spending, saying it is mandated by the state and does not come from the School Committee.
“We are under water every year,” Bridges said, noting the town is legally required to pay by a formula a certain amount but it cannot be reached with the 2 ½ cap.
Police Chief Michael Befford talked about the request for an additional officer who he said would act as a detective. He noted that fraud cases had “gone through the roof,” since COVID and residents continue to fall victim to scammers. Another detective would work to try to “get some or all of their money back.”
He said mental health-related calls have also risen substantially—with the goal of getting the person to a hospital or treatment facility for help and “reduce crime that way.”
Utilities and Facilities Superintendent Peter Boria explained an additional highway worker would concentrate on maintaining the parks and help with snow removal. He said there are 20 snow plow routes that take two hours each to do and currently 10 employees.
They run into a problem if someone is out sick or on vacation and they have “efficiency challenges keeping up,” Boria said. It is also difficulty to find sub-contractors willing to be paid hourly.
Boria listed other duties of the department like mowing and picking up trash at town-owned properties as well as maintaining roads and other infrastructure where an additional person would be of help.
Boria also thanked Town Meeting for “being very gracious” with equipment funding over the years, extending the staff’s appreciation as well.
Selectman Ralph Hicks noted the board held several public hearings and heard from townspeople that times are tough and many live on fixed incomes.
Hicks said he understood those challenges and selectmen tried to pare down the requests as much as possible.
“This is what the town needs,” Hicks said.
In other business, Town Meeting approved “Schedule A,” for salaries, reflecting a 2.15% increase in FY26 and establishing an employee classification and wage scale for non-union employees.
Residents agreed to allocate $14,006,036 for operation of the general government expenses and put $50,000 into the Other Post Employment Benefit (OPEB) Trust Fund; funded $12,487,128 for the Spencer-East Brookfield school district; $1,389,883 for Bay Path Vocational Technical High School; $80,050 for Smith Vocational High School (non- resident tuition and transportation); and $73,864 for Pathfinder Regional High School (non-resident tuition and transportation).
The expense of transporting one student each to Smith and Pathfinder raised a couple of questions. Bridges explained that they must hire a transportation van and driver for 180 days of school.
It is another instance where state law mandates the student can travel to a program if it is not offered by the district or Bay Path, he noted.
Hicks said the law is “well-meaning but not funded.”
A former school administrator, Hicks said transportation costs were “the bane of my existence.” He added that with these students, there are no others along the route in surrounding communities to “share a ride,” and help to absorb costs.
“It’s outrageous,” Hicks added. “Tuition is one thing; transportation is crazy.”
Other warrant articles that passed included approximately $1 million for capital purchases including $100,000 each for a fire engine replacement and roadside mower; $81,856 for a police cruiser; $150,000 for library renovations, $50,000 for the Lake Street School demolition and more.
