Lanesborough Passes Budgets, Leasing Funds for EMS & Gold Star Exemption
It failed to pass an appropriation from stabilization of $45,000 for the public safety building project but approved taking $100,000 from free cash to lease space for the ambulance department.
Town meeting also adopted a state law allowing a tax-exemption for gold star families after defeating it last year.
The 155 registered voters went through 24 articles in about two hours at Lanesborough Elementary School.
The Mount Greylock budget was one of only two spending lines held for discussion; the other was for a clarification on the Health Department.
School Committee member Ursula Maloy called for the hold and rose to amend the budget number presented as $6,863,585, saying it was too high. Her amendment reducing the amount to $6,839,727 (a difference of $23,858) passed easily.
The proposed $12,589,512 budget for fiscal year 2026 was a 6 percent increase from the previous year; the amended budget is a 5.6 percent increase.
It includes the $317,109 assessment to the Northern Berkshire Vocational Regional School District.
An appropriation of $45,000 from the stabilization fund for the redesign of the public safety building failed to meet the 2/3rds vote at 82-64; town meeting had OK'd $108,000 for this purpose in 2021 and spent $40,000 so far.
"How many designs do we have on this building?" said voter Jennifer Lyon, as someone in the meeting called out "five." "After five designs after several years, we want to move $45,000 in for yet another design?"
Mark Siegars, chair of the Public Safety Building Committee and now chair of the outreach committee, said it wasn't about a redesign.
"We are undertaking a campaign to educate the public about the design the Selectmen chose," he said. "We have had three years of of misinformation and the finally the community has decided it wants to hear the facts so the Selectmen voted to move money that had previously been approved and unspent."
He pointed out that it would have no affect on the tax rate as it was a "reallocation of money sitting in the bank."
The Select Board voted to advance a $7.3 million combined police/emergency medical services facility, discarding the option for a $6.5 million separate build. The public information and outreach committee was formed in April to provide information on the project.
"I just want to urge the voting public tonight strongly that $45,000 seems excessive to talk about something that we have discussed at nauseum for the last four years," said Lyon.
Article 11, a transfer from free cash of $100,000 to lease, renovate and furnish space for the ambulance department in part continued the discussion over the public safety building. The debate over placing emergency medical services into the same building with the police had started with the first iteration of a new police station. Now, the service has been told it must leave the fire station, where it's been located since it was a volunteer operation.
Barbara Davis-Hassan asked if the article passes, it would solve the space problems of both the police and EMS.
"I would like to see an analysis, a financial analysis for the taxpayers, to show the total cost of the public safety building at the worst number available," she said. "Run that down and show us what that's going to be costing bottom line annually, including operating expenses. Run the same thing on leases. ...
"If we're going to commit to a lease, let's sell it, whichever one makes sense, but at least give it back to the taxpayer, so that they have enough information to make an informed decision."
Someone pointed out that town meeting had just voted down the funding to do that.
EMS Director Jen Weber said there is a location in mind but she would leave it up to the Select Board whether to disclose it.
"We do have to rent both indoor space and outdoor space. Big Blue, who's not a little girl, she takes up a big space, and it has to be inside," she said "So that's been our struggle for the last years of trying to find a place that was really appropriate for our facility."
Fire Chief Jeff DeChaine said his station has become to cramped and that his office is a cardboard box and a folding table. EMS has been operating out of the station's rec room but a busted water pipe flooded the room, which had to be gutted, and now they're in the firefighters training room.
"We gave up our space for EMS, and we're all just waiting for the town to take responsibility and provide the proper space for Lanesborough EMS," he said. "They need a new space and we need our space back."
Several voters noted the aging population and the need for the ambulance to be treated as an essential town service.
"There was $50,000 in our operating budget for the ambulance. We have reduced our budget by $50,000 to move this towards the $100,000 that we believe is needed for the ambulance to transfer to this new space," said Select Board Chair Michael Murphy. "So we're really talking about $50,000 not $100,000 it would be a total of $100,000 and the alternative is, because it does appear to most of us that the ambulance does have to move out of the fire station, whether we like it or not,
The article passed 130-17.
The meeting approved most articles without discussion, including a host of free-cash transfers of $50,000 each to the other post-employment, stabilization fund and replacement of two Town Hall air-conditioning units; $250,000 for a front end loader; $49,291.70 to pay out unused sick and vacation time for the retiring Department of Public Works director; $20,000 into the capital stabilization fund; $15,000 for a sewer study; and $5,000 for resurfacing the Narragansett Park basketball court. Another $200,000 in free cash and $181,698.32 from the Baker Hill Road District fire truck fund was transferred into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund.
An update to the town's bylaws regarding the authorities of certain officials passed without comment and Planning Board Chair Courtney Dondi amended a citizen's petition limiting the height of buildings to 26 feet along the lake back to the board, saying their were still concerns about aspects of the bylaw including its effect on existing homes and spot zoning.
The town was authorized to accept Old Williamstown Road as gift from the state. The town would take over the 3/4-mile dead end and the state will maintain responsibility over the two bridges. In response to questions from an abutter about maintenance, Town Administrator Gina Dario confirmed it would not be open to vehicle access and that this is the first step in an ongoing "discontinuance process."
Finally, a citizen's petition for the town to adopt at state law giving property tax exemptions to parents of military personnel who died in service or because of their service. Town meeting had rejected a similar article last year over the concerns it would attract more gold star families or put a burden on other taxpayers.
More than a half-dozen people, including veterans, stood to speak in favor the article and Tor Krautter, stepfather of Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher, who was killed in a training exercise in 2023, said, "one year ago, I sat in the back of this room fully expecting to report to my wife that our community supports her and honors her son. ... I was not prepared, and I did not speak. I didn't think I would have to. ...
"If Staff Sgt. Jake Gallagher were standing here today and he could ask his community to do just one thing to thank him for his sacrifice, he would simply say, 'just take care of my mom. You have the power today to ease her burden."
Kevin Thomson II, a disabled combat veteran, Lanesborough resident and Dalton Legion Rider, read a statement that refuted many of the comments made last year.
"Let's make Lanesborough a place where patriotism means more than flags on Memorial Day," he said. "It means action, real support, real remembrance, real respect for those who gave everything and for the families still living with that loss."
Voter Ray Jones said he shocked to find out the law wasn't adopted last year.
"You should all be ashamed of yourselves," he said. "Whoever voted no for this last year should absolutely ashamed of yourself."
The article passed 116-19.
Tags: annual town meeting, lanesborough_budget,
