Deerfield Finance Committee unanimously backs Elm Street easement article for Town Meeting

DEERFIELD -- May 4, 2026, Deerfield Finance Committee votes 5-0 to recommend Elm Street easement article ahead of May 11 Town Meeting. The committee and the Selectboard both unanimously backed Article 16, which authorizes up to $10,000 to acquire small easements on private property along Elm Street if Eversource Energy refuses to relocate utility poles in time for a planned ADA-compliant sidewalk project; Town Administrator Christopher Dunne said the $10,000 ceiling, drawn from Complete Streets grant funds or Chapter 90 money, is well above the estimated $100-to-$400 value of each easement. The bulk of the session was spent reviewing the draft Finance Committee Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Overview, where Chair Julie Chalfant disclosed that the current average single-family home value in Deerfield is $467,172, yielding estimated average tax bill increases of $42.05 for the proposed Senior Center override and $163.51 for the South County EMS override, a combined impact of about $205.56, and said she would not personally argue for the SCEMS override at Town Meeting because, in her words, "my heart's not in it." Member Margaret Nartowicz agreed to present the sustainability case for the override, citing the town's current reliance on more than $500,000 in annual free cash to fund the recurring EMS expense.