Easthampton City Council Approves $65 Million FY2027 Budget Despite Recount Uncertainty

EASTHAMPTON -- June 24, 2026, Easthampton City Council approves FY2027 budget of more than $65 million despite an unresolved override recount. The council voted unanimously on 10 appropriation sections at a June 24 special meeting, acting on Finance Committee Chair Tom Peek's roughly $51,000 in targeted reductions from Mayor Salem Derby's original proposal, cuts covering non-certification training, Flock camera subscriptions, and a reduction in the sustainability coordinator's hours. City Auditor Patel confirmed the city plans to draw approximately $5,980,187 of the $6.9 million override authorization, with final revenue figures to be settled at the fall tax rate recap. One floor amendment, to restore $300 to a licensing board clerk stipend that the Finance Committee had cut, failed 5-3 after Vice President Felicia Jaszak and others raised unresolved questions about whether the work was being double-compensated. The council also unanimously approved a resolution opposing a proposed cell tower at One Cook Road in Southampton, with Kwasinski, Smith, and Nguyen pledging to deliver it in person at the Southampton Planning Board's July 8 hearing.