Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 9/7/10 meeting of Northampton’s Public Safety Committee of the City Council. Councilors David Murphy, Jesse Adams and Maureen Carney attended. Councilor Angela Plassmann was unable to attend. (This meeting was not part of the committee’s original schedule.)
The meeting (no votes on substantive matters were taken) is followed by an informal interview with David Reid from Northampton Media. The councilors indicate their support for a tax override to help fund a new police station.
This video was recorded by Adam Cohen. It is 16 minutes long.
Although Councilor Adams notified the City Clerk about this meeting by the Thursday before–as required–there appear to have been problems getting notice to the public. The notice below was still on the official bulletin board at the Puchalski Building at the time of yesterday’s meeting:
See also:
MassLive: “Northampton schedules Proposition 2 1/2 override vote to determine future of new police station” (6/19/10)
Although some members expressed qualms about the potential spending, the City Council left it up to the voters Thursday to decide on a Proposition 2½ debt exclusion for a new police facility.
The $17 million project was set to go last year but the city dropped the project shortly before the scheduled ground-breaking when the national economy crashed. The currently used building, built in 1965, is a maze that fails to meet the needs of modern police work, according to police.
The council voted unanimously to put the $10 million override on the November ballot for voters to decide. A debt exclusion differs from a general override in that the amount of borrowing disappears from the tax base when the project is paid off. General overrides become a permanent part of the tax bill…
The override will be the subject of public forums before it goes on the ballot. According to Mayor Mary Clare Higgins’ calculations, it would add about $80 per year to the tax bill of the owner of a median priced house starting in 2014. The amount would gradually decrease after that.
Design of New Police Station Wins Approval; CBAC Video (10/21/08)