{"id":2331,"date":"2025-04-27T23:56:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T23:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sosnorthampton.com\/?p=2331"},"modified":"2025-05-14T01:19:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T01:19:13","slug":"opt-in-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sosnorthampton.com\/es\/2025\/04\/27\/opt-in-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"City Council “Opt In” Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Frequently asked questions about the \u201cOpt In\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

April 17, 2025<\/em> – SOS is asking the Northampton City Council to \u201copt in,\u201d meaning to vote to accept into its charter a longstanding state law provision that allows the city council to increase the school budget beyond the amount provided by the mayor.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you mean when you say Northampton should vote to \u201copt in\u201d?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When we say the city should opt in, we mean that the city council and mayor should agree to include in our city charter a decades-old provision of state law that would allow the city council to increase the city\u2019s financial allocation to schools over the amount submitted by the mayor in the budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1987 the Massachusetts legislature established the procedure for municipalities to accept (\u201copt in\u201d) the provision in their charter documents. \u201cSubmission of city budget to city council; procedure for approval, rejection or alteration<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Can\u2019t the city council already vote to increase amounts in the mayor\u2019s budget?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No. Currently, the city council has the power only to decrease<\/em> budget items submitted by the mayor, but not to increase them. Opting in to adopt the new provision in the city charter would allow the city council to increase only the school budget<\/strong>\u2014no other budget items. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To go into effect,\u201copting in\u201d requires the approval of the mayor and a majority vote of the city council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How would the city council exercise this new power?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If the city council were to determine that the mayor\u2019s appropriation to Northampton Public Schools was inadequate, and it received a recommendation from the school committee to increase the budget appropriation, it could increase the school budget with a two-thirds majority vote. However, the proposed increase MUST NOT result in a budget that can\u2019t be funded within the city\u2019s Proposition 2\u00bd levy limit. Also, the city council cannot increase the school\u2019s budget appropriation beyond the amount recommended by the school committee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the city council increases the school budget, the mayor has the option to fund that increase with the city\u2019s ample reserves, which keeps the other expenditures of the general budget intact. If the mayor refused to use reserves for the increase, then it would have to be funded from the other items in the general budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Won\u2019t opt in weaken the mayor\u2019s power?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In a city like Northampton, with the current \u201cstrong mayor\u201d model of government<\/a>, the mayor has almost sole power, which limits the ability of the city council to carry out its crucial\u201cchecks and balances\u201d role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Does the \u201copt in\u201d provision ever expire? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No, but the city council can vote to \u201copt out\u201d three years after opting in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What other towns in Massachusetts have voted to opt in?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Adopting this provision is not uncommon in our state and has been done by many municipalities, including Greenfield, Amesbury, Easthampton, Waltham, Cambridge, Framingham, Salem, and Pittsfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Won\u2019t opt in create more work for the city council?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The charter currently gives the city council the power to approve the mayor\u2019s budget and to vote to decrease items in the budget with a two-thirds majority. We\u2019re confident that the council\u2019s current responsibility to approve the budget indicates that councilors are knowledgeable about the spending of various departments. If they weren\u2019t knowledgeable, why would they be voting on the budget at all? There is no evidence from towns that have \u201copted in\u201d that it increases the burden on councilors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What does opting in mean specifically for our schools and community?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If the city council has a larger role to play in the funding of our public schools, then more attention will inevitably be given to\u2014and more discussion will take place about\u2014the needs and challenges across our schools. Opting in will require more collaboration between the school committee and the city council, which means that both bodies will widen their scope of understanding and enjoy greater partnership in serving the educational needs of the community. This increased focus stands to benefit all of our city\u2019s students and can promote a healthy, and even thriving, community. <\/strong>It will expand the community\u2019s understanding, knowledge, and oversight of our school district\u2019s budget, which is the largest single item in the entire city budget. It will also bring greater fiscal transparency to the community\u2014which is a very good thing, because we all deserve to know and be able to weigh in on how our tax dollars are being spent!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For More Information<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n