EASTHAMPTON — Sign holders stood on one side of the street next to the Municipal Building on a recent afternoon, urging people to vote “yes” on a proposed $6.9 million Proposition 2½ override. It was a different story on the other side of the street, where people stood holding “no” signs.

After Mayor Salem Derby announced the June 9 override vote, residents quickly organized into “yes” and “no” camps. While some voters may still be undecided, both sides have made their positions clear through sign-waving campaigns and online posts. Despite their differences, supporters and opponents agree that a lot is at stake when voters head to the polls on Tuesday.

“I just wanted to encourage the citizens of Easthampton to talk about this and dialogue and come together as one, even if we have different opinions,” said resident Mateusz Marcinowski, who will be voting for the override, during a recent City Council meeting.

Facing a deficit of approximately $6.5 million, the city is proposing the override in an attempt to maintain the majority of current services. Polls will be open at Easthampton High School from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

If the override passes, property taxes would rise and most staff would be preserved, though some cuts would still take place. If it fails, city officials warn that nearly every corner of government would be hit. This includes the loss of more than 40 educators, three firefighters/paramedics, two police officers and two public works positions. There would also be a 40% reduction in the Health Department, along with funding impacts to Veterans Services, Parks and Recreation and the Planning Department.

Proponents of the override say they are willing to pay higher property taxes to avoid deep cuts to schools and city services. Opponents, meanwhile, worry about adding to residents’ financial burden at a time when costs continue to rise, with some arguing the city’s fiscal challenges stem from past financial mismanagement.

Easthampton currently has a tax rate of $13.29 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, a number that decreased overall from $16.21 in 2017 and peaked at $17.76 by 2020. Officials say the city’s tax rate is much lower compared to neighboring communities. If the override passes, the new tax rate would be approximately $15.91, and the tax levy limit would be permanently increased.

Easthampton’s average single-family home assessed value for fiscal year 2026 is approximately $418,000, based on figures from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. A $6.9 million override would result in an estimated $1,100 annual increase to property taxes based on that average. The increase would be roughly $655 for a $250,000 home, $1,179 for a $450,000 home, $1,703 for a $650,000 home and $2,227 for a $850,000 home.

Many of the “yes” override organizers, like Jen Sandler, are parents of students in Easthampton Public Schools. Sandler said she was “shocked” after seeing the proposed cuts to schools and city services if the override fails.

Officials have said that first areas of the budget to be cut are anything deemed “nonessential.” The schools, being the largest part of the city’s budget, would be hit the hardest. About $2.7 million would be cut, including the elimination of programs like art, music, sports and extracurriculars.

“The more I learned about the budgets, the more upset I was about the prospect of this override not passing,” Sandler said.

Sandler added that Easthampton’s deficit is due to a “structural issue” that all communities face as costs continue to rise and outpace the city’s revenue. “This is something that is hitting all of our households so it is something that the city is dealing with as well,” she said.

“No” override organizer Cathy Wauczinski feels the city has mismanaged budgets in the past and should take responsibility for the city’s deficit.

“How did we get here? Mismanagement of funds,” Wauczinski said at an organizational meeting for the “no” campaign last month. The city used approximately $4.5 million in reserves for the current year to balance the budget — an action Wauczinski said should have been addressed more seriously.

Mike Carriveau, who will also vote “no” on Tuesday, agrees.

“I think that the council was negligent, and some of this is falling on Derby as [former] City Council president,” Carriveau said at the meeting. “They didn’t ask the questions, they didn’t stand up to her [former Mayor Nicole LaChapelle] and say ‘no, we’re not taking this money.'”

Wauczinski said it is vital that the city maintain essential services like police, fire and teachers, but there are areas she feels cuts can be made. One example she provided is funding for arts and culture, which is important but not essential.

“I’m going through the budget as best as I can without a line-item budget. I’m whittling away at some of the potential cuts that aren’t all personnel,” she said.

“Yes” override organizer Margaret Betts, a 19-year city educator and vice president of the Easthampton Education Association, doesn’t believe there’s room for the city to make many more cuts.

“This town is scrappy, it’s not full of too much. If you go into 50 Payson [Ave.], it seems like they’re getting by with a lot of hard work from as few people as possible,” Betts said, referring to the Municipal Building.

Betts said should the override fail, the impacts would be long-term and felt far beyond the schools. According to the “Yes” Override campaign’s website, when cuts are made to schools, it often results in lower property values and would make more students choice-out of the district, which creates another cost for the city.

Dan Rist, a former city councilor of 27 years, supports the override, saying the alternative would be disastrous — hurting schools, lowering public safety response times and reducing services for the Council on Aging. He said it’s OK for people to vote against the override if they cannot afford it, but argued people shouldn’t do it simply because “they’re blaming the government.” Rist also rejected the idea that the deficit is due to mismanagement.

“The blame that comes from the ‘no’ people doesn’t solve the problem,” Rist said in an interview. “To say that this is because the city government was mismanaged, you’re just trying to punish the government.”

With a child who plays sports in the public schools, resident Jon Levin said he will be voting “no” on the override because if it passes, he may not be able to pay for his house.

The override would not be the only new taxation, Wauczinski argues. She said the Community Preservation Act tax surcharge will also increase as a result of the override passing, and water and sewer tax rates were increased in March by a vote of the Board of Public Works. She added that it is possible, if the override fails, the city will propose another smaller override or another one next year.

Resident Karol Brodeur said she cares about the services that would be cut if the override fails like schools and public safety, but will be voting “no.” “Just because I vote no, doesn’t mean I’m against the police or the fire,” she said.

Brodeur, among other “no” voters at the organizational meeting, said that the proposed cuts are “scare tactics,” and will not all come to fruition if the override fails. They contend using such tactics is a way to “manipulate” people into supporting the override.

Sandler compared the city’s deficit to the roof of a house and rising costs to rain.

“We can either fix the roof now and save us from the flood or we cannot fix the roof and argue about whose fault it is about why there is a hole,” Sandler said. “But (if the override fails) we’re going to have a house full of moldy stuff and we’re still going to have a roof to fix.”