Southampton Select Board opens $14.2 million senior center warrant, imposes hiring freeze

EASTHAMPTON — September 2, 2025 — Southampton Select Board opened an 11-article special town meeting warrant anchored by a $14.17 million senior center borrowing authorization and an emergency $318,000 health insurance transfer. Town Administrator Scott Sidebak set the net borrowing figure at $11.97 million after applying a $2.2 million offset from the Red Parsons estate bequest, with actual debt issuance not expected for 18 to 24 months. The $318,000 transfer covers only the municipal and Norris Elementary side of a 20 percent mid-year premium increase from the Hampshire County Insurance Trust; the board separately estimated Southampton's share of Hampshire Regional High School's obligation at roughly $500,000. Board member John Johnson said the trust "notified us 45 days after our budget passed," calling out the state's Attorney General and Commissioner of Insurance for taking no visible public action. The board voted unanimously to impose a near-total hiring freeze on departments under its control, authorized submission of an updated Open Space and Recreation Plan extending the current document to 2031 at no cost, and accepted the resignation of Plumbing and Gas Inspector Thomas Sear and school committee member Aaron Menard.