The ambulance “receipts reserved” account finished the last fiscal year with more than $860,000 in the bank, but on the 7th of July the City Council transferred $745,000 of that to various Emergency Medical Services accounts, including $450,000 for employee stipends. The EMS division is now self-sufficient and has outgrown its need for a dedicated [...]

NORTHAMPTON — If elected, would David Narkewicz pledge to be a single-term mayor? Will the next mayor “return” an elusive document to state regulators? What are the pros and cons of secrecy in collective bargaining? Are there any negative impacts from the city’s many bike paths, and who pays for graffiti removal there? And the [...]

  NORTHAMPTON — The City Council voted last Thursday to transfer $450,000 from the Fire Department’s ambulance receipts to pay yearly stipends for emergency medical personnel and department administrators, but not without vigorous protest and a lengthy debate. Audio: Council Discusses $450K EMS Stipend Transfer In a meeting chaired by City Council President David Narkewicz [...]

NORTHAMPTON — The sun came out just in time for Sunday’s groundbreaking celebration at the Bean and Allard Farms, a 180-acre land preservation project in the Mill River floodplain here. The large crowd represented both sides of Northampton’s political aisle: there were more bicycles than cars; a bluegrass band was playing; kids wearing team gear [...]

NORTHAMPTON – The ward giveth and the ward taketh away. In the past month, Ward 3 has lost its sitting city councilor, Angela Plassmann, and then a candidate vying to replace her, Lisa Fusco. The first resigned under a cloud before her term was up, the second self-destructed just as her campaign to replace Plassmann [...]

The Ward 3 councilor tells health officials she will submit a stiff new marijuana-smoking ordinance   NORTHAMPTON – Ward 3 City Councilor Angela Plassmann appears to be back on the marijuana war path. According to minutes from the Nov. 15 meeting of the council’s Committee on Social Services and Veterans Affairs, Plassmann said she remains [...]

Despite criticism that the land is overpriced, councilors agree to spend Water Department funds and a $302,000 state grant to protect the Mountain Street Reservoir. NORTHAMPTON – The City Council voted last night to spend $500,000 from the Water Department’s free cash account to buy 127 acres of watershed land in Whately, despite dogged opposition [...]

      EXTENSION LIKELY ON TAVERN’S TOILET VARIANCE  REQUEST NORTHAMPTON – The Paradise City Tavern, whose toilet troubles have well-documented by Northampton Media, has been given a Feb. 23 hearing date before the Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gasfitters. Earlier this month, William Collins, the tavern’s former manager and now the GM [...]

Councilor Gene Tacy’s bid to rescind $620K in fire department spending fell flat at last week’s City Council meeting. During debate, his fellow councilors blasted his efforts as disrespectful showmanship. NORTHAMPTON — City councilors spent almost an hour last Thursday discussing a order filed by Ward 7 Councilor Eugene Tacy to rescind more than $600,000 in spending [...]

Before the 7-0 vote, Councilor Jesse Adams warned proponents of hydropower that they have an uphill fight to make their case. But supporter Joseph Misterka said he was encouraged by the roomful of “yesses.” *** NORTHAMPTON – It wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for restoring the Chesterfield Road dam, but the City Council did vote [...]

EMS stipends defended; Tacy chastised by peers; Mayor rebuffs refrigerator complaint NORTHAMPTON — Fire Chief Brian Duggan and Deputy Chief Chris Norris made a command appearance at Thursday’s City Council meeting to defend the department’s practice of issuing fiscal year-end stipends to emergency responders. The occasion was a motion before the council’s Finance Committee to [...]

        Capital Improvements Money and Gene Tacy’s Tax Bill  NORTHAMPTON – The City Council voted unanimously Thursday to spend almost $2 million in capital improvement projects to be funded by a variety of methods, including borrowing, enterprise funds, cash or other mechanisms. The spending, which needs a second reading to be adopted, [...]

War Dollars, Landfill Ban, Dam Preservation and Councilor Tacy’s Back Taxes Among Many Items on Sept. 2 Agenda NORTHAMPTON – A number of weighty issues face the City Council when it meets Thursday, including a proposed ordinance to ban landfills over aquifers, a “War Dollars” resolution to ban further military spending abroad, and a resolution [...]

But the ruling says drug laws are not the jurisdiction of the City Council’s Social Services and Veterans Affairs Committee NORTHAMPTON – The Northwestern District Attorney has ruled that two city councilors did not violate the state Open Meeting Law when they met the police chief June 22 to discuss a proposed ordinance to fine [...]

NORTHAMPTON — A local resolution instructing federal lawmakers to “bring the war dollars home” has failed to gain the support of the City Council’s three-member Committee on Social Services and Veterans’ Affairs. (Download PDF of resolution) At its July 19 meeting, the committee voted 2-1 to advance the bill to the full nine-member council with [...]