Mandi Jo Hanneke For Amherst Town Council

Each year the Amherst Indy sends questions to the candidates and publishes the answers on their blog. Below are my responses.

1.      What do you think is the most pressing challenge facing Amherst residents and what would you do about it as a Town Councilor?

We must address our housing crisis. And we must address the fact that our revenue increases each year are not keeping pace with inflation or the needs and desired services of the residents (including school children).

Our housing is too expensive for many residents and potential residents to afford without being burdened. And we do not provide the variety of housing types that our residents desire. In my three terms on the Council, I have proposed a variety of legislation to address this problem. Not all of it has been successful, but if re-elected, I plan to continue proposing new legislation focused on the zoning strategies in the new Housing Production Plan and that learns from my legislative efforts.

To address our budget struggles, we must begin conversations earlier, be open about the options, be willing to change past practices, and be willing to make legislative changes that would increase the possibility of developers building commercial property in Amherst. We cannot shy away from these conversations, which will be hard, because they necessarily deal with trade-offs regarding services (ending some, increasing others) and development (compromising on building to create a stronger economy and less burden on residents). There simply isn’t enough money to do it all, while maintaining strong budgeting and fiscal protections. The entire town must be part of the conversation, and we must all approach the conversation believing that everyone has the best interests of the Town and residents in mind.

2.      Do you think there is a housing crisis in Amherst? What do you think the council ought to be doing in the coming year with regard to housing policy?

Yes, there is a housing affordability crisis in Amherst and addressing it is one of my top priorities. To address the affordability crisis, we need to keep three goals of the Comprehensive Housing Policy at the forefront of discussions: promoting a variety of pathways to homeownership, increasing the supply and variety of housing types; and finding resources to support affordable housing.

Further, the 2025 Housing Production Plan provides a pathway to developing proposals to address our housing affordability crisis. As a Councilor, I would focus on zoning because it is direct action the Council can take. This includes enabling the creation of missing middle housing; redefining apartment uses; facilitating infill development; and amending Inclusionary Zoning to encourage more low- and middle-income units.

I have been one of the few Councilors that has actually proposed legislation to address the crisis. As a Councilor, I co-sponsored legislation allowing Amherst to impose a fee on property transfers to provide funds for affordable housing in Amherst,  bylaw changes designed to provide more pathways to homeownership and increase the diversity of housing types that led directly to the creation of the University Drive overlay district, and resolutions supporting state legislation to provide funds for creating, supporting, and developing deed-restricted affordable housing, to levy a fee on transfers of property to support affordable housing, and to seal eviction records so residents can better maintain housing security. If re-elected, I will continue pursuing legislative solutions to our housing affordability crises.

3.      Do you support the two resident generated bylaw proposals recently referred by the Town Council to the Planning Board.  Why or why not?

I do not support either proposal. Moratoria have been shown to increase housing costs. If Amherst residents are serious about addressing the housing affordability crisis in Amherst, we cannot put a moratorium on building residences.

The student housing proposal, as written, is flawed, likely illegal, and would result in higher housing costs in the long run. Some of the reasons I do not support this particular proposal include:

(1)        The proposed student home definition likely violates fair housing laws, as it differentiates between student residences based on their family status, not just student status.

(2)        It likely violates the uniformity requirement of MGL Ch. 40A section 4. “The uniformity requirement is based upon principles of equal treatment: all land in similar circumstances should be treated alike, so that ‘if anyone can go ahead with a certain development [in a district], then so can everybody else.’” SCIT, Inc. v. Plan. Bd. Of Braintree, 19 Mass. App. Ct. 101, 107 (1984). The minimum distance requirements likely violate this principle.

(3)        It seeks to establish rent stabilization, which is not only illegal in Massachusetts, but also results in high housing costs over the long run, as numerous studies have shown.

I do support having a conversation about how Amherst can modify its zoning bylaw to encourage housing development that is more likely to be occupied by non-student households than student households. All sides need to begin with open minds, have a thorough discussion, and be willing to compromise. We cannot effectively collaborate and address the housing affordability crisis if people believe themselves in a battle to be won. It is important to keep in mind that we all have the same goal in mind – ensuring that all residents can live respectfully, peacefully, and cooperatively in their neighborhoods. Let’s have that conversation.

4.      The Town Council has floated the idea of conducting a tax override to pay for road repairs and possibly to prevent further cuts in schools.  Do you support an override to fund these community needs and/or would you suggest other ways to meet those needs without raising taxes?

We must find a fiscally responsible means of addressing the road and sidewalk repair backlog and the fiscal realities of costs increasing faster than revenues.

To address the backlog or road and sidewalk repairs, the Council must be realistic. It will be expensive and we must be willing to consider a wide range of strategies to increase our annual investment. Potential strategies include a yearly capital override, decreased investment in vehicles (by replacing them on a longer cycler than is currently used), consideration of borrowing for road repairs. To address our budget struggles, we must be willing to consider all options, including Proposition 2.5 overrides and service cuts. There are probably many other options that can and should be considered to address these two issues, and the Council must have open and frank conversations regarding them. Further, we all must approach the conversation believing that everyone has the best interests of the Town and residents in mind. We cannot effectively address these tough issues if we aren’t willing to collaborate and compromise.

Regarding any override (for road repairs, general operating expenses, etc.), I would support putting the question to the voters. It is up to the voters as whole to decide whether they would support raising their taxes in order to make quicker progress on road repairs or to support maintaining or increasing operational service levels.

5.      Will you commit, at a minimum, to level funding the Amherst Public Schools for the next three years?

In typical times, level funding of any budget should be the bare minimum (i.e., allocating at least the same actual dollar amount from the current fiscal year to the next). However, we are not in typical times. The uncertainty regarding federal funding and the possibility of a recession brings a level of state funding uncertainty to the budgeting process that we have not seen since COVID began. During COVID, despite all the uncertainty and the drop in local receipts, the Council did level-fund all operating budgets, by accepting the possibility that doing so might require using reserves.

In these uncertain times, I would approach the budget the same way – aiming to make sure each major functional area receives at least as much money in one fiscal year as it received in the prior fiscal year. However, if state aid drops precipitously over multiple years, that may not be possible, because even our healthy level of reserves may not be able to compensate for such a precipitous loss for multiple years in a row. Simply, no matter how much I want to make such a promise, in this time, with the massive level of uncertainty we are facing that is out of the local government’s control, I cannot state with certainty that all operating budgets can be level-funded for the next three years. I simply cannot predict the future and won’t pretend that it’s possible.

6.      Will you commit to oppose any further borrowing by the town for the Jones Library Expansion project. If not, is there an amount of further borrowing that you would not be willing to exceed?

As a Councilor, I voted to fund the Jones Library Building Project. It is a major step in moving our public buildings off fossil fuels and addressing social and racial inequity. It will provide necessary additional meeting space for the ESL tutoring program, a dedicated teen space, a new Humanities Center, and additional computers for accessing the internet and computer programs. Because of the project’s extraordinary programming, we are leveraging the town’s investment with additional state, federal, and private funding providing almost two times the Town’s investment. In November 2021, 65% of voters approved the project.

As a Councilor, I consider every vote seriously, look at the facts and vote based on what I believe at the time is in the best interests of the Town and its residents. If faced with further votes on the project, I will do the same.