The City Council on Thursday, Nov. 16, unanimously endorsed “A Resolution in Support of Picture Main Street” that was introduced Oct. 19. It states: “The Northampton City Council recognizes and stands by the more than twenty years of planning by our elected and appointed officials that will lead to a safer, greener and more vibrant downtown with their thoughtful planning reflected in Picture Main Street.”
The project, for which the state is expected to pay $19 million, will channel motor vehicle traffic to one travel lane in each direction with a center turning lane; add physically separated bicycle lanes on both sides of the road; widen sidewalks; shorten crosswalks; reduce the overall number of parking spaces by 57; increase accessible parking spots by two; and add 36 trees.
The vote came after John DiBartolo, representing the Save Northampton Main Street citizens’ group, presented an alternative plan that would retain four lanes for motor vehicle traffic adjacent to shared or separate painted bike lanes.
In my remarks supporting the resolution, I noted that physically separated bicycle lanes are a standard part of transportation planning to accommodate bicyclists, pedestrians and people who use wheelchairs, as well as motor vehicles.
I added that this is an opportunity to continue building a network of separated bike lanes being constructed or planned on Route 9 in Hadley, Route 5 from Northampton to Easthampton, and as part of the Mill River Greenway from Haydenville to Williamsburg.
Construction of Picture Main Street is scheduled to start in two years and will be staged in phases over three years.
Earlier this week, Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra announced a partnership with the Downtown Northampton Association and Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce to support Main Street businesses during construction.
The mayor pledged:
- Continuous communication between businesses, residents and project teams.
- Marketing, arts and entertainment programming and educational initiatives to draw visitors and residents to Main Street.
- Innovative strategies to manage access and minimize disruption.
The full City Council resolution is available here:
https://northamptonma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/22223?fileID=186248
More information about Picture Main Street is available here:
https://northamptonma.gov/2547/Picture-Main-Street
Single tax rate
The City Council on Thursday, Nov. 16, voted unanimously to keep a single tax rate, which means that all residential, commercial, industrial, and personal property will be taxed at the rate of $15.19 per $1,000 of assessed value. That is down 4 percent from the rate of $15.84 per $1,000 of assessed value used in the fiscal year that ended June 30.
However, because the assessed value of property has increased, most tax bills are up this year.
The bill for the owner of an average single-family home valued at $477,690 is about $7,256; and for the owner of an average condominium valued at $288,740 the bill is about $4.386.
The presentation by principal assessor Marc Dautreuil and finance director Charlene Nardi during the tax classification hearing Nov. 2 is available here: https://www.northamptonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/23702/FY2024-TAX-CLASSIFICATION-Power-Point
Information about exemptions that may reduce property taxes is available here:
https://www.northamptonma.gov/1343/Personal-Statutory-Exemptions
Report from state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa
The City Council Committee on Community Resources will meet with state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa at 5:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 20, in the City Council chambers at 212 Main St.
Rep. Sabadosa is expected to describe recent legislative action and discuss priorities for local and regional issues.
People may participate remotely by using this Zoom link (passcode 216457): https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89760604223
Public comment
The City Council Committee on Legislative Matters, of which I am a member, will meet at 5 p.m., Monday, Nov. 27, in the City Council chambers at 212 Main St. to consider recommending possible rule changes regulating public comment at council meetings.
The council is considering whether to require remote participants to use an online sign-up form and whether comments should be limited to topics on the meeting agenda.
The consideration of possible rule changes began at a special meeting of the City Council on Nov. 9, one week after an attack of racist and antisemitic hate speech by four people participating remotely in public comment during the Nov. 2 council meeting.
During the Nov. 9 meeting, Alan Seewald, the city’s attorney, said that hate speech is generally protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, unless it rises to the level of “fighting words” that are reasonably likely to incite violence.
However, the City Council can set rules regulating public comment, including limiting it to topics on the agenda, as long as they are applied to all speakers.
While hate speech may be protected, it should not be condoned, and I condemn it as reprehensible and morally indefensible.
A Zoom link for remote participation will be included with the agenda for the meeting that will be posted this week.
The Committee on Legislative Matters is expected to make recommendations about possible rule changes for consideration by the full City Council at its next meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5.
City Council budget ‘listening sessions’
The City Council Committee on Finance, of which I am a member, will hold virtual “listening sessions” from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 28, and Wednesday, Nov. 29, to hear from the public about the municipal budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024.
This Is an opportunity for city councilors to hear from residents about their spending priorities before the formal process of approving next year’s budget begins in early 2024. Participants are asked to limit their comments to three minutes or less. Anyone unable to attend may email comments to [email protected].
Here is the Zoom link (passcode 565532): https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82645997721
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