The Town of South Hadley is experiencing significant budget pressures, driven by rising costs and constrained revenues. Key factors include sharply increasing health insurance expenses, growing special education costs, and slow new growth in property tax revenue, combined with flat or potentially declining state aid. These trends have created a structural deficit, requiring the Town to implement difficult reductions in services and staffing.
A Budget Task Force group was formed earlier this fall and a public forum is planned for 6:00pm on Thursday, January 22, 2026 at the South Hadley Senior Center.
Residents are also invited to participate in a research study for the Town of South Hadley. This project is being conducted under the direction of Dr. Melinda Tarsi-Goldfien, Department of Political Science, Bridgewater State University, in collaboration with the South Hadley Budget Task Force. The purpose of this study is to collect feedback from residents on the town’s finances.
The study is voluntary and confidential. The survey responses are collected and compiled by Bridgewater State University under the direction of Dr. Tarsi-Goldfien. The survey results will be reported to the Budget Task Force and residents upon completion.
Click here to take the survey: https://bridgew.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3UleV5odmoqmw4K