The committee is holding a forum next week to answer questions on the override.
Easthampton Mayor Michael A. Tautznik, left, is seen with School Committee chairman Peter T. Gunn.EASTHAMPTON – With less than six weeks before the November election, supporters of a $1.4 million Proposition 2 1/2 property tax override launched their official campaign Tuesdaywith a rally at the rotary on Route 10 and Main Street.
Mayor Michael A. Tautznik who supports the override, School Committee members including chairman Peter Gunn and others spoke at the afternoon event.
The City Council this summer agreed to place the question on the ballot.
The School Committee is seeking the override to close the approximate $660,000 budget gap in fiscal 2013 as well as restore programs that have been cut over the last several years and to improve education into the future.
Marin Goldstein, a parent and member of The Committee for Stronger Schools, said parents have been passing out information at places such as soccer games and at a table at the Big E in West Springfield, but the event Tuesday is a more formal kick-off to the campaign.
Marin, who moved to the city last year with a son who just entered kindergarten, said, “I heard good things about the schools. Teachers have really big hearts, not enough resources.”
He said “from the figures that I’ve seen, funding for the schools in the last five years has largely flat-lined.” He sees the only recourse is to pass an override.
The group has scheduled a public forum Oct. 4 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building and another rally at the rotary Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. to noon. Organizers are holding a fundraiser Oct. 5 at the Pulaski Club from 7 to 10.
Marin said he is hoping people will come to the forum that will feature School Committee members and Tautznik. He wants residents “to come out and ask specific questions of the mayor. Really get a sense why this is needed. To make educated decisions.” He believes that the override benefits the whole city not just parents because it will increase home values and help the economy.
“I certainly one hundred percent understand this could be looked on as hardship.” But he said if residents can afford it, “it’s all about us helping each other as a community.”
Finance Director Melissa Zawadzki has said that the amount requested in the override would add about $1 per $1,000 to the tax rate. With a home valued at the average of $228,000 that would mean about a $228 increase in taxes per year.
Residents will also be paying another 84 cents per $1,000 for the new high school. That will add about $191 to the homeowner's tax bill. The current rate is $13.27 per $1,000 or about $3,002 for the average home.
Marin said he knows that might be hard for some but he said the city does have one of the lowest property taxes around.
Easthampton ranks 260th out of 328 communities, City Councilor Daniel Rist told the council this summer.