Issues
Everyone knows we have to pay our bills before we put money in the bank. Needs come before wants. But the City of Northampton has been too focused on “wants” at the expense of “needs”. It has been putting too much in the bank, at the cost of cuts to public education. The result is that the needs of the city have been sacrificed for far too long. Our schools are underfunded, roads and sidewalks are in disrepair, residents are overcharged for water; property revaluation has been bungled, and snow removal during the President’s Day storm this year was below expectations.
Here are some of the top issues that I’m advocating for:
1. Fully fund Northampton public schools
The Mayor’s budget in May 2024 for Fiscal Year 2025 required 22 layoffs of staff at our schools and precipitated a crisis she herself acknowledged publicly at the City Council meeting on February 20, 2025. While citizens demanded a mid-year appropriation to fix these problems caused by the Mayor’s budget, the City Council stalled and the Mayor refused to send a proposal to the Council until the School Committee demanded one. Given that Northampton generates budget surpluses of $4-6 million every year (anticipated as well for fiscal year 2025, the year of Mayor Sciarra’s layoffs), clearly, the City has enough to fund teachers in our schools to educate our children. An additional $2 million would have avoided the layoffs and still left money for a surplus. While it’s true that Northampton doesn’t have enough money to address every need in our schools, it can make a healthy contribution to solving this problem, which it has not done.
2. Fully fund other essential services
Because the Mayor and City Council approve of generating large surpluses to put into reserves, they are preventing money that comes in every year from properly funding other city services as well. You might think that all that cash on hand, more than $30 million, is a rainy day fund–but it’s not. Rather, it is meant to be spent on $103 million of capital projects over the next 5 years. But, there is one problem: the Mayor’s plan is still short $20 million for capital projects even after using up the $30 million stash. This means the city will extract more cash from the yearly budget, meaning we will have even less money for our essential services like schools, roads, fire and safety, and senior services. We need a new vision to prioritize spending in Northampton.
3. Hold local government accountable to taxpayers: Accountability. Accountability. Accountability.
The City Council needs to use the authority it has under the city charter to hold the city administration accountable. Section 2-7a says, “In General - The city council may make investigations into the affairs of the city and into the conduct and performance of any city agency. “
The City is charging all of us excessive amounts for water (look at your water bill!). A water charge was increased by 200% in April 2023 in anticipation of the large city-water user Coca Cola leaving Northampton. Coca Cola didn’t leave, yet the City continued to charge inflated prices for water as if Coca Cola had left almost two years ago. What did the Mayor and City Council do about this? Nothing. The City just kept the extra money they have been collecting from us.
The City failed to conduct the yearly property revaluation for many homeowners in Northampton, mainly residential condominiums. Once conducted, the property revaluation led to massive assessment and tax increases for some homeowners from the previous year. This is something yearly property valuations are meant to prevent. One person in my neighborhood saw an increase in her taxes of over 75% in one year. What was the response of our local government leaders to this error? The Mayor said nothing and the City Council did nothing.
In a city where the mayor has all the power over the city and school budgets, the city council must represent their constituents and demand accountability for the city’s decisions and their consequences. The City Council can proactively generate new ideas and become part of a collaborative process of solving problems.
4. Make Northampton Affordable to All
It costs a lot to live in Northampton, and too many people are being squeezed out. Here are some things our city government can do to help our residents:
- Refund excess water bills- I've mention this before. Our water bills were jacked up in 2023 because a big water user, Coca Cola, was going to leave the city. Lost revenue from the water they purchased would cut the amount of money available to run our public water system. But. Coca Cola hasn't left and the city has been collecting more than they needed. The city council talked about the issue, but the city just decided they'd keep the money. Don't charge residents more than necessary! The overcharges should be refunded as lower rates for the appropriate period of time.
- Cancel medical debt for Northampton residents- Donald Trump has repealed Joe Biden's rule preventing medical debt from affecting a person's credit rating. Medical debt does not exist in countries that have universal health care. It's an American thing. Many local and state governments have partnered with a group called Undue Medical Debt to buy out people's medical debt for pennies on the dollar. This would be a great use of some of our cash on hand to immediately help people in our community.
- The rent's too high!- in the 01060 zip code of Northampton, renters comprise 40% of all households. Renters are feeling the squeeze from rent increases. We need some type of rent stabilization to limit rent increases, but we will need state approval to do it. We should support legislation such as Senate bill 1447 that has been introduced in the Massachusetts legislature.