AMHERST — An effort to make Amherst a sanctuary community for undocumented immigrants, an appeal to launch an investigation into possible impeachment of President Trump and a resolution seeking to limit the influence of money on political campaigns are among articles to be presented to annual Town Meeting.

The 42-article warrant, which will be taken up beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the middle school auditorium, features both reactions to national affairs and numerous local matters, including deciding the fate of a project to expand and renovate the Jones Library, offering more protections to properties near downtown and adopting a zoning change that would allow construction of apartments for homeless individuals.

The sanctuary bylaw is being brought forward to strengthen existing, including limiting police cooperation with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents, prohibiting officials from establishing a Muslim registry and restricting information that can be collected about a person’s immigration status.

“When people are afraid to call the police, are afraid to be witness in a crime, it makes all of us less safe,” says lead petitioner Caroline Murray.

John Bonifaz, cofounder of Free Speech for the People, spearheaded the petition that aims to have Congress examine whether Trump is violating corruption clauses that prevent a president from being beholden to foreign governments and not playing favorites with state and federal governments.

“This would call on Congressman James McGovern to sponsor, support and vote for such a resolution in the House of Representatives, to initiate such an investigation,” Bonifaz said.

A nonbinding resolution would urge state and federal representatives to push to get big money out politics, a petition brought by the Northampton-based Represent.Us and being considered in at least 30 towns in western Massachusetts.

Library project

As Town Meeting meets for first time since January, when it failed to clear the two-thirds majority needed to authorize borrowing for a new twin elementary school, another building project comes forward, as trustees for the Jones Library seek the go ahead to continue pursuing a possible expansion and renovation of the downtown building.

Trustees would like to seek a construction grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and are asking approval for preliminary design. This would allow trustees to move ahead to full design and development, if selected by the state, said trustee Alex Lefebvre.

“At this point, there’s no funding request, it’s just simply can we apply for the grant based on the preliminary designs,” Lefebvre said.

Trustees will also present rough costs estimates, from Western Builders of Granby, of renovations that need to occur, such as to the leaking atrium roof and torn carpets. This estimate will likely be lower than actual needs since it doesn’t include electrical upgrades and the potential for making the building handicapped accessible.

But Save Our Library, a group opposed to the current plans, is calling this a false choice between renovations and demolition/ expansion.

“An architect-designed renovation within the existing footprint is the real alternative,” the group writes on its website.
”Save Our Library members repeatedly requested a cost estimate for a renovation within the existing footprint during trustee board meetings over the last several years, but this request was ignored.

Budgets

Budgets for the town, schools and library that preserve most existing services will be considered.

The $22.98 million town budget is an increase of $571,138, or 2.5 percent, over the current year’s $22.41 million budget. Town Manager Paul Bockelman said the budget provides level services and stability, with the only new addition being a procurement position, at $19,958, shared with the schools, that Bockelman said will help departments comply with increasingly complex state procurement laws.

The elementary schools have a $24.86 million spending plan, with $22.52 million from the general fund, a $375,898, or 1.7 percent increase, from the current year’s $22.15 million budget. The proposal is $83,906 short of being level funded.

Budget additions include $75,000 for four paraeducators and $20,000 to bring food services in house, with reductions including $56,812 for a portion of the vacant equity and professional development position.

The regional schools have a $33.93 million spending plan, with $31.32 million from the general fund.

The four towns that make up the region, including Pelham, Shutesbury and Leverett, will be asked to adopt a new assessment formula that is based 10 percent on wealth assessment - the state-defined minimum contributions and factors income and taxable property values – and 90 percent on the five-year rolling average of student enrollment.

Amherst’s assessment will be $15.5 million, a $306,566, or 2 percent jump, from the current year’s $15.2 million.

The school budget includes a $40,000 addition to bring the food services back in house, $68,100 that will be used for the track replacement and $70,000 for professional staff and stipends in high school equity, with savings of $60,000 from professional development staffing at middle school and $37,454 for a portion of the vacant equity and professional development position.

The library budget is up from $2.47 million to $2.56 million, a $87,075 increase, or 3.5 percent. But the town’s $1.93 million contribution is only rising by 2.5 percent.

More spending

Capital spending includes $1.43 million in equipment purchases, including a new bucket truck and two 3/4-ton pickups with plows.

A total of $898,433 will go toward building repairs, including $262,433 for roads, $70,000 to begin the process of fixing the Fort River School roof, and $25,000 for permitting related to Puffer’s Pond dredging.

There is also $500,000 in borrowing being sought to replace the boiler at Wildwood School. and $115,000 to conduct a feasibility study at the Fort River site to determine if it is a suitable place to rebuild and renovate the current school.

Another $800,000 in borrowing would come from the water fund to continue a process of replacing water meters.

Community Preservation Act spending of $1.22 million will include $180,000 for phase 2 of the North Common improvements and $244,683 for the Jewish Community of Amherst to repair its steeple, along with borrowing $500,000 for Groff Park modernization, including a spray park, playground and pavilion.

Planning and zoning

An article seeks to add a seventh point of access on University Drive to allow development of the lone vacant parcel. This limited release needs only majority support.

The Planning Board is bringing forward zoning amendments that tweak the zoning bylaw, except one that would allow a project with entirely affordable units to have exclusively one style of apartment. This would allow Valley Community Development Corp. to move forward with a single-room occupancy project for homeless individuals.

A petition to rezone commercial parcels in the Mill District in North Amherst is opposed by the Planning Board and Select Board.

Mollye Lockwood, vice president of Real Estate and Community Development for landowner WD Cowls, Inc., said the rezoning to residential uses is not legally defensible and wouldn’t be effective since a subdivison process could lock in the zoning.

Select Board member Connie Kruger said the tactic appears to be retaliation for the approval of the mixed-use project to bring apartments and commercial space to Cowls Road. “I think this is an attempt at grudge zoning,” Kruger said.

A second Local Historic District, containing nearly 200 properties on Sunset and Lincoln avenues, is being sought to protect the mixture of homes from both low income and prosperous families in neighborhoods between the University of Massachusetts campus and downtown Amherst.

“It reflects the development from the 1860s up to the 1940s,” said Maurianne Adams, who served on the study committee for the district.

Other articles

Members of the Public Art Commission will again try to convince Town Meeting that Percent for Art, which would add ½ percent to the capital projects that would be for funds.

“It’s an unusual opportunity for enhancing public space that might not occur for some time,” said member Eric Broudy. The Finance Committee, though, is opposing this article.

Other articles include a petition to create a carbon fee and dividends, which would help middle and lower income individuals and families to offset the higher fuel costs, a petition to give local voting rights for permanent, legal non-residents, appropriating $400,000 for the Other Post-Employment Benefit trust fund and establishing special education reserve funds for the elementary and regional schools.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.

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