Hatfield Settles Cannabis Dispute, Signs New TreeWorks Host Agreement

HATFIELD — February 6, 2024 — Hatfield seals $40,000 cannabis settlement and new host agreement with TreeWorks. The Select Board voted unanimously at its February 6 meeting to approve both a settlement agreement and a renewed five-year host community agreement with TreeWorks of Mass LLC, ending a multi-year dispute traced to retroactive changes in state cannabis law that stripped towns of financial restitution rights. The $40,000 will arrive in four quarterly payments across 2024, with the first already received, and is expected to go toward a school capital project. The board also authorized DPW to deficit-spend on snow and ice removal — the account stood roughly $55,000 in deficit as of January 31 — and approved a six-month veterans services contract with Northampton at approximately $8,000 after the town's veterans officer position remained unfilled. Fire Chief Flarity received board backing to apply for an Assistance to Firefighters Grant for a ladder truck and a SAFER grant for personnel, with Chair Luke Longstreeth noting the town has added 41 fire department hires and increased the department's budget by $200,000 since 2020.