After residents passed one of the largest budget gap-filling overrides of its kind in western Massachusetts this year, the mayor of Easthampton says the city has its work cut out for it – including actual cuts.
A day after residents narrowly passed a $6.9 million override, Mayor Salem Derby says the hunt for grants is on, while the city aims to reduce its own spending.
"We're not just sitting back and asking for money - we're going to be proactive and we're going to try to do what we can to minimize A: the impact on citizens and B: the impact on their wallet," he told WAMC Wednesday.
On Tuesday, just over 3,300 voters approved raising their property taxes - about 240 more than those against it, in a city of over 16,000 residents: a slim majority Derby says he’s more than aware of.
"I understand completely that almost half the city voted against this, and I think it's my responsibility to - whatever that reason was - to help address that in a way that people can feel comfortable about what their city is providing to them, what that's costing them, and how we can move forward with a little bit higher level of trust," he continued.
For context, in Massachusetts, if a city needs to raise property taxes beyond the state limit of 2.5 percent, a referendum is needed. In Easthampton’s case, about $8 million was needed to fill both a $6.5 million budget gap and help secure financial footing for the next fiscal year.
The city is already looking at cutting $900,000 via Easthampton Public Schools – not the $2.7 million “doomsday” scenario Derby says EPS faced if the override failed, which included at least two dozens jobs being eliminated.
Also a priority, the mayor says: greenlighting or supporting more projects to bring more properties onto city tax rolls.
"Right now we have the [Elementary School Reuse] project - that's moving forward and we actually just got $1.1 million from the Secretary of State's office ... [a] historic development credit," he said. "And Ferry Street: we're about to do demolition ... which is going to pave the way for 96 new affordable units right at Ferry Street. So we're going to keep those projects on track, but we're also going to look for new projects."
Easthampton is one of around 60 communities that have tried to pass an override this year, according to Derby. A week prior, nearby Hadley passed a $1.5 million override while Southampton voters approved a $1.9 million override in late-May.
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A shortened version of this story originally aired on Thursday, June 11, 2026.
