By Alex Cox || coxalexj@gmail.com

A report on the meeting of the Amherst Town Council on Monday, March 10

The Town Council voted to delay consideration of the budgetary implications of the Percent For Art Bylaw as it applies to the new Elementary School until May 19, 2025 (12-1). The discussion was originally on the agenda for the February 24 Council Meeting but was removed from the agenda at the beginning of that meeting. Following the Monday vote, the discussion has now been postponed until May 19th. 

Under the Percent for Art Bylaw (General Bylaw 3.53), the Town must automatically “authorize an allocation for public art of an amount equal to one-half percent (0.5%) of the capital costs of any eligible Town construction project” unless Town Council passes a motion that changes or eliminates this budget line. The new elementary school building project is the first eligible project since the bylaw was adopted in September of 2020. Under the bylaw, the school project will allocate approximately $250,000 for the acquisition, creation, and/or display of art. 

In a memo to the Town Council, Town Manager Paul Bockelman recommended that Council permit this allowance and take no action. However, Councilor Cathy Schoen (District 1, Chair of the Elementary School Building Committee) made a motion to reduce the amount of the art allowance to $100,000. Councilor Schoen claimed that the new sum was still a “substantial amount of money” that still allows one or two pieces to be commissioned. “[The proposed reduction] basically saves taxpayers $150,000,” said Councilor Schoen. 

Councilors George Ryan (District 3), Ana Devlin Gauthier (District 5), and Mandi Jo Hanneke (at-large) spoke against voting for the lower amount at the meeting. Councilor Devlin Gauthier mentioned that any decision should consider the recommendation of the Public Art and Elementary School Building Committees, saying that it “would be disrespectful to not seek the input of those committees.” Councilor Devlin Gauthier was the only councilor to vote against the delay, as motioned by Councilor Andrew Steinberg (at-large). 

Other Business

At the remainder of their meeting, the Town Council referred several proposed bylaws to committees. These proposed bylaws, including a Town-specific Ban on Public Urination and Defecation (referred 9-4), a Tax Exemption for Veterans (referred 13-0), and CPA Funding Allocations for FY2026 (referred 13-0), will be discussed at a future meeting following the reports from their respective committees. 

Meanwhile, a proposed referral for a bylaw that would Allow for Virtual Ticketing of School-bus-related traffic violations was defeated 5-8, effectively killing the motion by Councilor Hanneke.

The Town Council also considered the proposed charge for the Fire/EMS Building Advisory Committee, as presented by the Town Manager. Councilors cited concerns with the makeup of the committees as well as the tenure and unclear scope of work of the body, especially since sites for both buildings are still undetermined. The Town Manager agreed to revise the charge before bringing it back to the Council at a future date.

The next Town Council meeting will be March 24 in Town Hall at 6:30 pm. Town Council meetings are also accessible via Zoom, livestream, and Amherst Media broadcast. 

Councilor Devlin Gauthier has requested that the upcoming meeting allows time for discussion around increasing school funding, and Councilor Hanneke has also requested that the Town Council begin considering a Proposition 2 ½ Override. The agenda for this meeting will be posted (along with meeting materials and links) on the Town Council webpage. 

If you’re interested in knowing more about upcoming Council meetings, you can subscribe to text and email updates from the Town. If you want the Current’s coverage of the next Town Council meeting delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe using the field below. 

Alex Cox (he/him) is a current graduate student at UMass- Amherst studying Regional Planning (MRP) and Public Policy and Administration (MPPA). He currently serves on the Amherst Affordable Housing Trust Fund and as the Graduate Director of the Student Union Art Gallery. He has been a member of the Amherst Current editorial board since 2024.