Public involvement in budget talks takes hit in pandemic Amherst Town Hall GAZETTE FILE PHOTO By SCOTT MERZBACH AMHERST — Even though all spending in Amherst is controlled by the Town Council, which replaced representative Town Meeting three years ago, a clause in the town charter provides a path for creating a separate budget that would be decided exclusively by residents, including young adults. Arguing that fewer residents would have a say in budget decisions in the new town charter, then-Charter Commission member Meg Gage inserted the provision to set the stage for annually putting aside a slice of public money and having the public, including teenagers, offer one-time proposals and then vote on how the money is spent.