Council adopts snow-fine enforcement via property tax bills

Select Board · Meeting of June 18, 2026

NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton City Council voted 7-1-1 to adopt state law allowing snow-shoveling fines to be attached to property tax bills instead of pursued in court. Councilor Robbins abstained, arguing the city should finalize a hearing process before adopting the enforcement tool, and Councilor Stratton voted no, arguing the council should pair 40U with a rewrite of the underlying snow-clearing ordinance. Councilor Dubs, a wheelchair user, called the 1999 ordinance overdue for real enforcement, saying "I'm the person who is sat in the freezing cold at nighttime waiting for someone to walk by to help me out of the snow." The council separately approved $330,111 in Community Preservation Act funds for the Nashawannuck Brook restoration and $202,000 to design an accessible rail trail bridge at Northern Avenue, both 7-1 with Stratton opposed.

Councilors also transferred $565,012 in free cash to cover a snow and ice budget deficit, leaving $698,666 in free cash.

In the full story:

• Public Comment: Trust, L3Harris and a DEI Dispute
• Community Preservation Act Appropriations: Second Readings
• Financial Orders: Youth Commission, Snow and Ice Deficit, Interlocal Agreements
• MGL Chapter 40U: Snow-Shoveling Fine Enforcement
• Mineral Hills Conservation Restriction
• Ordinances Referred to Legislative Matters
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,190 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of June 18, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.