Vote Yes
for Easthampton

Election Day is Tuesday, June 9, 2026, from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM at Easthampton High School, 70 Williston Avenue.

To request a mail-in absentee ballot, apply by 5:00 PM on June 2. In-person absentee voting ends at noon on June 8. Contact the City Clerk's office at 413-529-1400 x460 or cityclerk@easthamptonma.gov.

Saturday, May 30, 2026, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM for in-person registration at the City Clerk's Office, 50 Payson Ave. Register online anytime before then at sec.state.ma.us/ovr.

No. The same situation is affecting 57 Massachusetts municipalities at once, including Marshfield ($7M deficit), Malden ($8M), and Lexington ($4.7M — one of the wealthiest towns in the state). This is a statewide structural problem, not a local one.

One major driver: the shared insurance plan covering Easthampton and dozens of other Pioneer Valley municipalities nearly went bankrupt in 2025 and imposed two separate double-digit premium increases in one year. That alone added nearly $1 million to Easthampton's costs.

The longer-term driver: state aid to municipalities has declined by about 25% since 2002 (Massachusetts Municipal Association). Last year's Easthampton budget was specifically called a "landing the plane" budget by the Daily Hampshire Gazette — the city entered this crisis in good financial shape. Easthampton's bond rating is AA+. Cities that mismanage money don't earn that grade.

No. The large cannabis taxes (10.75% excise + 6.25% sales) go to the state, not Easthampton. The city's local 3% share is already built into the budget — it doesn't sit in a separate account waiting to be used. Even a record year for local dispensaries brings in only hundreds of thousands of dollars, not the $6.9 million needed to close the gap.

The city has already submitted the tightened-belt budget — that's the YES budget. The cutting-everything-reasonable budget is what takes effect July 1 if the override passes. The override is there to prevent truly debilitating and unprecedented cuts to people and services.

"Why can't we cut everything but the schools?" Cutting every non-school department back to 2022 levels saves roughly $1–2 million. The gap is $8.5 million. If the city did this, we would eliminate firefighters, reduce police coverage, gut the health department, and cut senior services — and still need a significant override (almost as much as the $6.9 million, if we didn't cut schools at all!).

There's no viable way to a balanced budget by making cuts to everything but schools. A NO vote doesn't lead to a smarter, leaner budget; it actually leads to truly disastrous cuts to our schools, plus major cuts — including personnel — to all other city departments.

An override permanently raises the tax base, but a no vote has real, practical costs too. Research shows that a decline in school quality reduces home values by 2–6%. On a typical Easthampton home at median value, that's approximately $8,000–$25,000 in lost equity.

Also: Easthampton currently has an ISO fire rating of 3. If fire staffing is cut, that rating drops to 5, and most homeowners would see fire insurance premiums increase — automatically, regardless of property value.

And: the no-override budget burns through $2.5 million in reserves to get through just one year. Next year, the city faces the same gap, now bigger, with less to fall back on. Think of it like putting a large expense on a credit card. The bill doesn't go away — it comes back larger, and with less savings to cover it.

A yes vote costs homeowners roughly $95/month on average and maintains most services. A no vote avoids that increase but risks insurance premium increases, equity loss, and a larger budget crisis next year. Both paths cost money — a yes vote creates more stability.

That's a real concern. Two things worth knowing:

If you're 65+, the Massachusetts Senior Circuit Breaker Credit can refund up to $2,820 of your property taxes — even if you don't normally owe taxes. It also covers renters. AARP Tax-Aide volunteers can help you file for free. Learn about the Senior Circuit Breaker Credit · Find AARP Tax-Aide help

Worth noting: if the override fails, the Council on Aging cuts Medicare counseling and ADA ride services, and Veterans Services reduces home visits. The seniors most worried about the financial cost of the override are the same ones who lose the most in services if it fails.

Your landlord pays the property tax, not you, and there is no legal mechanism that requires or automatically triggers a rent increase because of an override. Whether they pass the cost on is entirely their choice.

What the override does protect for renters is less visible but real: a fully funded Health Department is the office that responds to housing complaints and holds landlords accountable for code violations. If the override fails, that budget drops by 40%. Renters could end up with a landlord who raises rent anyway — and a city with significantly less capacity to help them fight back on anything else.

And yes — any registered voter in Easthampton can vote on this, whether you own property or rent.

The $1,100–$1,200 figure applies to a home at the average assessed value in Easthampton. If your number is higher, your home's assessed value may be above average — or you may be looking at a different calculation.

If you think your home's assessed value is wrong, that's worth addressing separately through an abatement application with the Assessor's Office — regardless of how the override vote goes. A successful abatement lowers your tax bill and carries forward in future assessments.

Proposition 2½ is a Massachusetts law that limits annual property tax growth to 2.5% plus new construction. An override is a voter-approved measure that permanently raises the levy limit above that cap.

Easthampton's costs — healthcare, special education, inflation — have grown faster than 2.5% per year. Vote yes and taxes rise by a set amount to fund services. Vote no and the city cuts deeply, immediately, across every department — and the same problem comes back larger next year.

Yes, a Prop 2.5 override permanently raises the levy limit. But so are the services it protects — schools don't close themselves after a few years, and neither does a fire station. The permanence is what allows the city to plan responsibly and retain staff.