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At the heart of town government in South Hadley, as in all New England towns, is the Annual Town Meeting, held here on the second Saturday in May and occupying most of the day. This meeting is essentially a legislative session, at which the policies and the budget for the ensuing year are voted. Town By-Laws may be added or changed. Other actions affecting the town may be taken. Schools, highways, sewers, and recreation are some of the areas of daily life controlled by the budget decisions made here, which in turn affect the property tax rate. Zoning questions often come up for
consideration.
The results of this meeting together with funds from the state and federal government, generally determine the tax rate for the fiscal year beginning July 1. However, sometimes labor contracts are unsettled at this time and a Special Town Meeting may be necessary when negotiations are completed, or nearly so, to complete the forthcoming town budget. After the tax rate is set, no action may be taken by a special town meeting to affect that rate. Special town meetings may be held at any time, but any monies voted after the tax rate is set must be transferred from available funds by a vote of the meeting.
The "legislators" number: The 120 elected Town Meeting members representing the five town precincts; plus ex officio members, including the Town Clerk-Treasurer, the five Selectboard, all nine members of the Committee on Appropriations, the chairman of most boards (both elected and appointed), the Tax Collector, Town Accountant and the Town Counsel. The quorum required for conducting business is a majority of the approximately 143.
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