Yes! Northampton announces a 90-minute public forum:
Ballot Questions 2010: Get Educated on What Questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 would mean for your community. Special focus on Question 4 and the override to give Northampton a new Police Station. 10/20/10 @ 7 pm, JFK Community Room.
See also:
Gazette: “Northampton mayor, chief to speak on police station project” (10/12/10)
Mayor Clare Higgins and Police Chief Russell P. Sienkiewicz will give a presentation and answer questions about the need for a new station and the financial implications of a $10 million debt exclusion override planned for the Nov. 2 ballot to pay for a large portion of the $17.6 million project.
The discussion is part of a larger public meeting organized by Yes! Northampton to explain how the four questions on the Nov. 2 ballot will impact the city…
…[separately,] an informational meeting [about a proposed new headquarters for the Department of Public Works is] scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 19, at JFK Middle School’s Community Room at 7 p.m.
Videos: Public Safety Meeting of 10/4/10; Sienkiewicz Summarizes Case for Police Station Tax Override
Here is a 14-minute YouTube HD highlight of the speech from Chief Sienkiewicz describing the need for a new police station. The committee voted 3-0 to endorse the tax override for the station. Councilor Plassmann abstained because she feels her constituents are divided on the issue.
MassLive: “Northampton schedules Proposition 2 1/2 override vote to determine future of new police station” (6/19/10)
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)