NORTHFIELD — All but two of the 35 articles on the Annual Town Meeting warrant were approved by the roughly 150 voters who gathered at Pioneer Valley Regional School on Monday, with a tax on short-term rentals being defeated and a property acquisition article being postponed.

Article 31, a proposal to implement a 6% tax on short-term rentals such as hotels, motels and Airbnbs in Northfield, was voted down. Though Finance Committee member Gail Weiss had previously explained the idea behind the article was to “bring revenue into the town without hitting up the taxpayers,” as the tax would be paid by visitors who book a stay, business owners voiced their concerns that implementing the tax would negatively impact tourism.

“The No. 1 group we serve are you [and] your grandchildren that are coming to visit you,” said Joan Stoia, co-owner of the Centennial House Bed and Breakfast. “So what you will end up doing if you adopt this motion is telling people that you’re essentially going to ration their trips.”

Mary Sullivan-Bowen, co-owner of the Northfield Creamie and a former Selectboard member, echoed these concerns, stating, “The businesses in Northfield are limited, and to exasperate the possibility of people saying someplace and being hit with an additional tax would really hurt the tourism in Northfield.”

The postponed article, Article 33, concerned the Selectboard’s potential acquisition of nine properties on Parker Avenue, Great Meadow Road, St. Mary’s Street, Gill Center Road and Cross Road that are currently under the purview of the tax collector, having been acquired through back taxes. Some residents advocated for a prior analysis of the land by members of the Historical Commission and Conservation Commission before the Selectboard makes any decisions regarding conservation restrictions, recreational use or potential sale of the lots.

Selectboard member and Historical Commission Chair Barbara “Bee” Jacque assured attendees that transferring the properties to the Selectboard would be just the initial step. She indicated that future public meetings would allow for further discussion on the properties’ potential uses.

“I would be more than happy as a Selectboard member and a Historical Commission member to carry the water, so to speak, in front of the Selectboard and to say, ‘Let’s outline this process,’” Jacque said. “And then as part of that process, authorize the other committees to work with the Selectboard to go make these assessments before doing anything with these properties.”

Despite Jacque’s explanation of Monday’s Town Meeting vote marking the initial step, some members of the public expressed a desire to postpone the article to allow for thorough review by the Historical Commission and Conservation Commission before any further action is taken by the Selectboard.

Aside from the failure of the short-term rental tax article and the postponement of the property acquisition article, all other proposals passed Monday. This included Articles 4, 5, 7 and 9, which collectively address the town’s $12.2 million budget for fiscal year 2026. The approved budget includes an $8.6% increase in the operating budget, allocating nearly $1.05 million for general government, $804,960 for public safety, nearly $1.53 million for public works, $177,280 for health and human services, $361,944 for culture and recreation, and $910,940 for insurance and retirement benefits.

Northfield’s FY26 education budget of more than $5.67 million, a 3% increase, also passed. This includes $25,000 for Northfield Elementary School maintenance, $935 for School Committee stipends, nearly $4.74 million for the Pioneer Valley Regional School District assessment, $901,171 for the Franklin County Technical School assessment and $11,467 for Franklin Tech capital expenses.

All articles pertaining to EMS also passed, including the department’s nearly $1.14 million budget, which is covered primarily through user fees in addition to $102,778 from the tax levy. The EMS budget faced a 38% increase compared to FY25, which Northfield EMS Chief Matt Wolkenbreit explained covers operational changes made to the department in the past year, such as having the chief’s position be full-time and ensuring paramedics are available 24/7.

“This budget represents the most financially responsible budget ... to provide you, along with the towns of Gill, Erving [and] Bernardston, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, professional training, staff in-house coverage,” Wolkenbreit said at the meeting. “Part of this request to use some of the tax levy to support our budget is that we can be available to you at all times and continue to operate.”

Voters also approved nearly $1.15 million in capital expenses. These include $230,000 for bathroom renovations at the Town Hall to be compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines; $200,000 for a new plow and sand truck for the Highway Department; $15,000 for a mower safety barrier for the Highway Department; $50,000 for elementary school improvements like installing security cameras; and $150,000 to replace the electrical control panel at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Northfield voters also approved using $500,000 for a new ambulance. This could either be an outright purchase or a lease-to-own situation, Wolkenbreit said previously.

“The purchase of a new ambulance can take as long as two years,” Jacque noted. “So it’s necessary to authorize this now so that we not wait until the ambulance in question is really broken down.”

Articles 27, 28 and 29 involved three projects that are being supported with Community Preservation Act funding. These articles, all of which were approved, asked for $14,000 to buy heat pumps for the Northfield History Museum to help protect historic materials from deteriorating due to humidity; $3,735 to cover legal costs and survey/easement costs for the potential purchase of the Hobo Falls Conservation Area; and $2,500 for the gravestone restoration and cleaning at Northfield’s Center Cemetery.

Other articles that passed include:

■Appropriating $50,000 for legal expenses due to appeals of decisions made by the Planning Board and Conservation Commission.

■Authorizing the town to accept a gift from Nancy Ames of three parcels of land on Old Wendell Road.

■Changing the constable position from elected to appointed, contingent upon approval from voters at the 2026 town election.

A petition to the state Legislature to override the mandatory retirement age for fire chiefs (65) to allow Fire Chief Floyd “Skip” Dunnell III to continue his work until August 2026, when he will be 73 years old, also passed.

“This will probably be the last request for extension for my tenure,” Dunnell told the Town Meeting voters. “I became fire chief April 1, April Fools’ Day, 1976, and this will allow me to retire after serving you folks for 50 years. I appreciate your support.”

Following a wave of applause, Northfield residents unanimously approved the petition request.