By Andrew Steinberg

After two Select Board terms and three terms as a Councilor-at-Large, it is time for me to step aside. I will not be a candidate for reelection this fall. In my service for the Town, I am proud of many accomplishments. I also recognize challenges we have yet to meet. This announcement provides the opportunity to share my thoughts with you.

The Charter

Voters supported the establishment of a Charter Commission and elected members in 2016. They approved the Charter in 2018. They were seeking a legislative body that heard from the public and was accountable through an election process. The Charter achieved that goal. Citizen comments to Councilors in person and writing have been much greater than I received in any previous position. Elections require campaigning with candidates explaining our vision for Amherst and how we will contribute to achieving that vision.

Town Budget

The challenge to develop a budget is not new. Town Meeting was presented with a budget developed by its Finance Committee with input and support from the Select Board and the Town Manager. Budgets addressed the Town’s priorities, primarily essential municipal services including K-12 education and libraries. Difficult choices were required.

As a member of Town Meeting and its Finance Committee, I observed two significant differences in town budgeting from my experience in other settings. First, government budgeting is often more focused on annual budgets than on long-term planning. Second, there are really five different budget processes – municipal services, elementary schools, regional schools, library and capital. Town Meeting and now the Council must bring them together into one budget plan.

Amherst has  a significant revenue challenge. In Massachusetts, local governments rely on property taxes. The burden in Amherst falls on homeowners and renters. 34% of the land in Amherst is not taxable. Half of that is the UMass, Amherst College, and Hampshire College campuses. 88% of our taxable property is residential, greater than Northampton, Greenfield, Easthampton or Hadley. We do not have commercial and industrial property to relieve the burden on taxpayers. As a result, our residential tax rate is the 15^th highest of the 352 municipalities in Massachusetts. Amherst’s commitment to education, decisions to discourage commercial development, and conservation have come at a cost. It is difficult to ask voters to raise taxes in an override when taxes are already high and there is less commercial property to share the cost.

We develop budgets annually that focus on the next year. Budgets are developed separately for the five functional areas and must be reconciled by the Council. It invites the staff and elected boards to focus on the need to provide their services without having to start with the revenue available and recognize other needs. Budgeting should begin by determining how much money is available and then look at service priorities and costs.

There has been much recent focus on school funding, in Amherst and across the state. The demands on our schools have increased at a faster rate than revenue, even with declining enrollment. The Council worked with the School Committee and school administration to make this work. It has become more difficult in recent years. Amherst strongly supports its schools. We spend more than neighboring communities including Northampton, Longmeadow, Hadley and Belchertown as determined by the amount net school spending exceeds the state required spending for the district. There is a limit to what Amherst can spend on education and address other needs. I support the initiative of the four towns in our region and the School Committees and Superintendent to examine the problem and find a long-term solution.

Priorities

Social justice and sustainability are highly valued in Amherst. We also need traditional municipal services including basic public safety, safe and adequate roads, parks and recreation, administration of elections, public health, senior services, and everything else we expect from our municipal government. We then add schools and libraries. We are much better at recognizing what we want than what we will relinquish. We must make choices. 

Development

New growth is the only way we can increase tax revenue without increasing taxes on residential property greater than 2.5% each year, the limit without a voter approved override. There is a consequence to saying that we don’t want development that will change the “character” of Amherst. That includes new housing within the areas that are currently available for housing.

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As you elect the next Council, School Committee and Library Trustees, look for candidates who will support solutions and recognize the need for compromise. The election will provide for hearing community voices that lead to budget choices.

Thank you for your support in five town-wide elections and your confidence in my service to the Town.

Andrew Steinberg was a Town Meeting member and a member and chair of the Finance Committee before being elected to the Select Board in 2014. In 2018 he was elected as Councilor-at-Large. He was also the chief executive of a regional nonprofit organization

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