Hadley Finance Committee Hears Police and Fire Staffing Crisis Before Override Vote

HADLEY — March 30, 2026 — Hadley Finance Committee hears warnings of structural public safety collapse before a looming override vote. Police Chief Mason, presenting on behalf of police and dispatch, told the committee Monday that the FY27 budget eliminates one officer position vacated by the death of Officer Robitaille, forcing lieutenants onto patrol for 10 months and pushing overtime from a projected $75,000 to $110,000 — a net saving of roughly $30,000 on a $65,000 cut. Fire Chief Mike Missoulis said the department is down to one firefighter per shift, cannot meet the OSHA two-in, two-out standard without mutual aid, and needs roughly $334,089 in additional fire department funding — approximately $500,000 including benefits — just to return to FY26 staffing levels; he added that his own retirement is expected within four months. Hadley Media Director Alex reported cable franchise revenue, the department's sole funding source, fell 10 percent last year and projected to drop another 8 percent, even as YouTube watch hours grew 64.7 percent in the current quarter. Mason framed the broader stakes plainly: "If we cut people, we will be causing that problem again — and once that happens, if we realize we've made a mistake, it takes a year to bring one person in to fix that problem."