Belchertown Finance Committee Approves $23,600 in Reserve Fund Transfers

BELCHERTOWN -- April 2, 2026, Belchertown Finance Committee approves $23,600 in reserve fund transfers and debates future of vacant Tadgell School. The committee voted unanimously, 4-0, on both transfers at its April 2 meeting: $3,600 to cover utility invoices for the former Tadgell School building from October 2025 through March 2026, and $20,000 to replenish an exhausted law account drained by ongoing litigation and investigations at the Select Board level, leaving a reserve fund balance of $45,400. Town Manager Steve Williams told the committee that renovating the building under any of three study options, a resiliency hub, business space, or residential conversion, would cost approximately $26 million, with the roof alone nearly $2 million, and that annual operating costs under town ownership could exceed $300,000. "I have concerns about trying to do that coming off of an override, coming off of a request for a new school which was denied," Williams said, adding that a debt exclusion vote for the project would be uncertain. The committee also tabled minutes from the March 23 tri-board meeting, pending language clarifying that members were asked to weigh in on a finance director appointment outside the committee's authority.