By Allison McDonald

A report on the regular meeting of the Amherst Town Council on Monday, June 15.

In a near unanimous vote on Monday, the Amherst Town Council approved a $107.1 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year, a 3.8% increase from the current year’s plan. The approved operating budget includes $30.8 million (up 4.5%) for the town’s municipal budget, which plans an increase to Fire/EMS staffing and higher pay for DPW workers, $20.4 million for the regional schools (up 3.5%), $29.6 million for the elementary schools (up 4.5%), and $2.5 million for the libraries (up 3.85%). 

The approved budget provides the elementary schools $189K more than the Council’s original financial guidance by shifting $120K from the Town Manager’s proposed capital spending plan and reallocating $69K from the regional schools to the elementary schools’ operating budget. Still, the additional funds are less than the $503K over guidance that the School Committee included in its budget, and the elementary schools will need to make cuts to its spending plan. 

Councilor Cathy Schoen (District 1), Finance Committee Chair, presented the Finance Committee’s report and recommendation to increase the elementary school budget, explaining that the committee focused on two areas in the elementary budget:

1. Unexpected preschool expansion–Additional required preschool special‑education placements are adding roughly $180,000–$283,000 to the budget.  
2. Reading and math intervention, and “specials” staffing–Several councilors were concerned that the district had funding flexibility to appropriately staff interventionists as well as art, music, PE, technology, and library (“specials”) in the new consolidated school.

Although the Council has no authority over how the schools spend the funding that the town provides, several councilors still voiced their support for specific school spending areas. 

Councilor Sam McLeod (District 5) framed his support squarely around spending for reading and math interventionists, saying that after hearing and reading about projected caseloads for these staff, “that was simply a bridge too far for me,” and he could not support a budget that did not at least restore positions in those areas. 

Councilor Jill Brevik (District 1) argued for maintaining “specials” staffing levels, describing the upcoming fiscal year as “a uniquely fragile transition year,” with a new building, a new sixth‑grade configuration, and a tight staffing model. 

Councilors Amber Cano Martin (District 2) and Ellisha Walker (At-Large) both argued that even $120K is not enough in the face of the gap between the School Committee’s adopted budget and the town’s guidelines.

Cano Martin said the town should ideally fund closer to the School Committee’s request and framed the issue in terms of equity and long‑term student outcomes: if children do not get adequate reading, math, and specials support now, “that is going to catch up with us later” in the middle and high school years.

Walker, speaking as a parent of three neurodivergent children with IEPs in the schools, stressed that the transition into the new building would be “a very big challenge” for many students and families and said this was “the least we can do at this moment” to support them.

Council President Mandi Jo Hanneke (At-Large) opposed both the capital reduction and the school increase. She argued that the town has already promised residents that consolidating into the new elementary school would produce operational efficiencies and lower costs and noted this year’s increase is the highest year‑over‑year school hike in her eight years on the Council, despite that consolidation.

Hanneke warned that reducing capital to fund operations restarts the path that led to years of deferred maintenance on roads, sidewalks, and buildings.

Councilor George Ryan (District 3) walked through several prior budget cycles in which one‑time federal and “bridge” funds were used to support recurring school costs, arguing that the structural problem is now catching up with the town.  

He pressed for a clearer long‑term fiscal plan from the schools, including how to absorb past use of ESSER (federal COVID relief) and free cash once those revenues disappear.

Councilor Lynn Griesemer (District 2) described herself as “reluctant” but ultimately supported the $120K increase in order to vote for the overall budget. She said she still believes the town is on the edge of what residents can afford and stressed the need to protect capital spending and the broader municipal workforce, including DPW and building and rental inspections.

A motion by Brevik to go further—cutting capital by $250K and adding that amount to the elementary schools—failed 4–9, with Brevik, Cano Martin, Lord, and Walker voting in favor.

Ultimately the proposal to reduce the capital spending plan by $120K passed, 10-3, with only Councilors Griesemer, Hanneke, and Ryan opposing the change. The cut leaves capital spending at roughly 10.3% of the projected property tax revenues, still within the Council’s 10–10.5% policy range.

The Council then voted to increase the elementary schools funding by $120K and approve the full FY27 budget of $107.1 million, passing with 12 voting in favor and only Councilor Hanneke in opposition.

Several councilors flagged FY28 as likely to be even more difficult, citing slower revenue growth and expiring one‑time funds. Multiple members urged that the Budget Coordinating Group (Council, schools, and library leadership) be used more robustly to develop shared financial guidelines before next year’s cycle. 

For more on what’s included in the budget, read this summary.

Rent Stabilization Resolution: Council Backs Beacon Hill Bill

A major portion of the meeting was devoted to a resolution supporting state legislation (H.2328 / S.1447) that would lift the statewide ban on rent control and allow municipalities to adopt rent stabilization if they choose.

The resolution expresses Amherst’s support for a local‑option framework under which cities and towns could cap annual rent increases—generally at the lesser of 5% or CPI—with specified exemptions (including for newer construction).

Lead sponsor Councilor Amber Cano Martin presented the resolution and cited data from Amherst’s Housing Production Plan data as context, highlighting that:

• 58.5% of Amherst renters are cost‑burdened, paying more than 30% of income on housing; 39.2% are severely cost‑burdened, paying more than 50% 
• Local market rents run 50–100% higher than regional fair‑market rents 
• A significant share of Amherst households earn under $30,000, and many are below 200% of the federal poverty level 

She emphasized that the Council was not voting to enact rent control in Amherst, but simply urging the Legislature to restore municipal authority.

State Representative Mindy Domb, a co‑sponsor of the House bill, appeared at the Council’s invitation to answer technical questions. In her remarks, Domb explained the following:

• Local option only: Municipalities could choose whether to adopt rent stabilization. If they opt in, they must adopt bylaws consistent with state parameters.
• New construction exemption: The current language includes a five‑year exemption for new units (with negotiations ongoing; developers have pressed for up to 15 years).
• Scope: Stabilization would apply to all rental properties in a town, unless specifically exempted (e.g., traditional dorms).
• Turnover: Caps would apply regardless of whether a unit turns over or the same tenant stays.
• Administration: Towns could establish rent control boards to review increases and disputes.
• Goal: Not to roll back existing rents, but to “ensure that rent increases are done in a stable and consistent manner that encourage affordability” and prevent extreme spikes.

Domb also confirmed that the bill is part of a larger statewide negotiation involving a potential ballot question on rent stabilization; action by the Legislature before July 1 could influence whether that referendum proceeds.

Councilor Jill Brevik said she supports rent stabilization as one of several tools to stem displacement, citing research suggesting that well‑designed stabilization policies do not significantly deter new construction, particularly when new buildings are exempt for a period of years and when strong code enforcement maintains housing quality.

Councilor Hala Lord (District 3) spoke from personal experience as a long‑time Amherst resident and renter: “I live in Amherst, in a two-bedroom apartment, and I currently pay 52% of my income towards rent. When I look at my actual take-home pay, that number is closer to 62%,” she said, adding that if only high‑income residents can afford to stay, “we are losing a part of the soul of this community” 

Council President Hanneke cast the lone “no” vote, citing concerns that:

• A five‑year new‑construction exemption is too short to support financing of new housing, potentially suppressing housing starts.  
• The bill does not explicitly allow landlords to respond to spikes in local costs—such as debt‑exclusion overrides, water and sewer rate hikes, or property tax increases—beyond the CPI cap.
• Rent stabilization could reduce mobility, lowering vacancy rates and driving up rents in uncontrolled units.

Councilor George Ryan supported the resolution but raised a separate worry: that stabilization primarily protects existing tenants and may not help those currently priced out of Amherst. He argued that significant new housing production is still essential to making the town more accessible to renters who want to move in.

Councilor Lynn Griesemer said she backed the measure largely because it is a local option, which she called “critical,” and because she prefers a municipal framework to a one‑size‑fits‑all statewide rule, such as what’s being proposed in the potential ballot measure.

The Resolution in support of “An Act Enabling Cities and Towns to Stabilize Rents and Protect Tenants” passed in a vote 11-1-1, with Hanneke opposing the resolution and Councilor Sam McLeod abstaining.

Other Key Actions

The Council voted 12-0 (Lord recused) to refer an FY27 CPA appropriation for the historic Goodwin Memorial Church to the Finance Committee, with a report due by July 20, 2026. CPA Chair Catie Zobel said the local CPA funds would serve as a match to a state grant, doubling available resources and allowing both repair and substantial preventive work against further water damage.

The Council unanimously adopted the Banned Books Week 2026 Proclamation, as amended to add “Community sponsor Representative Mindy Domb” to the sponsor list.

Councilor Pam Rooney (District 4) presented a 250th Declaration of Independence Proclamation that she sponsored, and described the document as a way to acknowledge both the ideals and the exclusions of 1776, bracketed locally by July 3 fireworks and the July 5 community reading of Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” 

After some debate over language acknowledging the experiences of African Americans and Native Americans and over whether to “celebrate” or “recognize” the Declaration of Independence, the Council changed the title and closing line of the proclamation to refer to a “recognition” or “event” rather than a “celebration.”  

The proclamation passed 9–3–1, with Councilors Brevik, Cano Martin, and Walker voting ‘no’ and Councilor Lord abstaining.

The Council unanimously approved a consent agenda that included many items, including a citation on the 10th anniversary of the Black Business Association of the Amherst Area. Other items approved as part of the consent agenda include an increase to water and sewer fees, and multiple Town Manager and Council appointments.

The next meeting of the Town Council is on Monday, July 20 at 6:30 PM.

An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this article by summarizing a recording of the meeting which was reviewed and adapted by the writer.