BELCHERTOWN — A $66 million fiscal year 2026 operational budget, tax relief for seniors and veterans and a slew of projects funded by the Community Preservation Act are hot topics that Belchertown residents will deliberate on Saturday morning during the annual Town Meeting.

Registration begins at 7 a.m. at Belchertown High School. The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. in order to get through the unusually long warrant within a timely manner.

The Town Meeting budget vote comes two weeks after voters narrowly passed a Proposition 2½ override to fund an additional $2.9 million for the operating budget. While the ballot question permits the municipal government to raise taxes beyond the 2.5% tax levy limit, Town Meeting voters need to allocate money to each department for next fiscal year, including its share of the $2.9 million. Theoretically, residents can amend a department’s budget to not include the override amount.

Tax relief measures

In the same meeting, residents will be asked to approve a variety of benefits to soften the property tax increase to residents on fixed incomes.

One warrant article would create a senior tax work off programs would allow residents over 65 to fill small, part-time municipal jobs in return for up to $1,500 off their tax bill. An additional warrant article creates the same program, but for disabled veterans.

As discussed during the Select Board’s April 7 meeting, a person can volunteer their time on behalf of a senior or veteran family member. The program will start by accepting five veterans and five seniors, and then expand to accept more people on a rotating basis.

“We heard from residents in the senior community that taxes are becoming more and more of a stress for them,” Select Board member Lesa Lessard Pearson said during the meeting. “The idea is to help ease the burden for the elders and veterans in our community so that they can stay.”

Separate articles at Town Meeting, if approved, would create two different assistance funds, one for seniors and low-income residents and another for veterans, to assist community members with their taxes and to pay for essential goods. These accounts are funded by voluntary donations residents add to their excise and real estate bills.

Additionally, Town Meeting will decide whether to adopt two different sections of the Massachusetts HERO Act that would provide veterans extra tax relief. One part increases the tax exemption based on the annual cost of living increases, and the other part would allow additional exemptions up to, but not exceeding, 100% of a veteran’s current exemptions.

“This is to give back to the [veteran] community also so they can afford their medicine, their health care,” veteran Jonathan Ritter told the Select Board on April 7. “They can possibly get money back to buy something they need from the town like going out to eat or something.”

CPA projects

In the spirit of giving back to the community, the Community Preservation Committee proposed eight projects on the warrant to preserve open spaces, town history and recreation. These actions include rehabilitating the McPherson Garden to comply with ADA guidelines, improve playing conditions at the Belchertown High School field and renovate the Firefighters Museum.

The warrant also includes a list of six capital projects approved by the Capital Improvement Planning Committee totaling $420,912. That work includes new door locks and a heat pump at Chestnut Hill Community School, a new phone system at Jabish Brook Middle School, a new fire suppression pipe at the recreation center, renovations to the former emergency medical services building to accommodate the town’s Information Technology Department, and repairs to the front entrance of Town Hall.

A handful of roadway acceptances and zoning bylaw amendments are also up for debate, including changes to the town’s regulations of accessory dwelling units. Created to increase affordable housing units in town, the new bylaw removes several hindrances to establishing these additional units on a property.

Planning Board Chair Daniel Beaudette explained on Belchertown TV that these units will be permitted in single-family zones by site plan review, rather than special permits. It is also no longer required that residents occupy the property, but the unit cannot be a short term rental like an AirBnB.

Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.