5 th Annual
SAT. 4/25 11:30-3:3 0 21 S. Broad St. Westfield, MA
APRIL 23, 2026 | FREE
IN THIS
EDITION CHICOPEE
Council approves $8.13M transfer to balance school budget With budget season in full force, the School Department is getting a major boost from the city to supplement its financial outlook this upcoming fiscal year.
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Fire Dept. announces emergency response services upgrades
The Chicopee Fire Department hosted a press conference with the mayor’s office on April 14 to announce a major upgrade to its emergency medical response capabilities through a new Emergency First Response certification.
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HOLYOKE
City gives Municipal Modernization Act update Mayor Joshua Garcia joined Human Resources Director Kelly Curran and interim Treasurer Rory Casey to provdie the City Council’s Finance Committee with a comprehensive update on the implementation of the Municipal Finance Modernization Act.
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www.ameliaparkarena.or g
South Hadley voters oppose tax overrides By Tyler Garnet
tgarnet@thereminder.com
SOUTH HADLEY — The South Hadley voters have spoken. According to unofficial results, they chose not to support the $9 million and $11 million tax override options at a town election on April 14. The ballot featured the two tax override options, and residents had the opportunity to vote for or against each question independently. If both passed, the town would have opted to go with the higher override. Based on the unofficial results presented by the town clerk’s office, 2,505 voted for the $9 million override while 3,852 voted against it. Meanwhile, 2,085 voters were in favor of the $11 million override option while 3,989 voters were opposed, according to the unofficial results. With neither override passing, the public schools are set to lose sports, extracurricular activities, administrative and teaching positions, as well as a reduction in electives. The School Department will also likely eliminate middle school and high school music and reduce or eliminate honors and Advanced Placement classes. Support services for seniors, multiple town positions and the Gaylord Library are also at risk of being eliminated. At the time of publication, Town Clerk Sarah Gmeiner said there are a few provisional ballots the clerk’s office is waiting to see if they will count, “but as of this moment, we’re at a 46% turnout.” There were 13,467 registered voters for this election. Gmeiner said the unofficial results include the advanced processed and election day tabulator tapes for all precincts. They did not include hand-counted ballots
South Hadley Town Hall. Reminder Publishing file photo
and ballots received from the ballot box before 8 a.m. and not counted at the polls. Town Administrator Lisa Wong commented on the results in an email to Reminder Publishing. “I’m not surprised at the results,” Wong said. “It was definitely a big ask of voters who are dealing with a lot. We will regroup and continue to communicate with the public on the changes ahead. We will also focus on advocacy for policy changes and support at the state and federal levels.” At the March 17 Selectboard
meeting, the board approved sending the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget to the Appropriations Committee. The South Hadley School Committee approved a $27.5 million budget at its March 25 meeting. The budget will go to Town Meeting on May 13. The other question listed on the ballot was a nonbinding question to see if the town would support the construction of a $36.5 million South Hadley Electric Lighting Department facility. The voters also opposed this question with 1,864 in favor and 3,982 against.
Although the item was listed on the ballot as a nonbinding question, the project has advanced through the approval process, and the town hopes the project will be completed in 2027. The Municipal Light Board has submitted its notice of intent to the Conservation Commission, and SHELD will appear before the commission on April 15 for a continued public hearing. The election also featured two contested races: the Selectboard and the Housing Authority. The Selectboard will welcome See VOTERS on page 2