Dalton to Decide Police Budget, Fund Transfers
DALTON, Mass. — After a contentious two-day town meeting, lengthy discussions between community members and town officials, and the postponement of the initial special town meeting date, voters will reconvene on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Wahconah Regional High School.
Voters will be deciding on six warrant articles during the town meeting, including the police budget that was singled out from the rest of the operating budget during the town meeting with an eye to making more cuts.
During the annual town meeting, the Police Department proposed a budget of $1,664,924, an increase of $129,668 over the previous fiscal year. However, it failed to pass by a secret ballot 162-117.
Voters will decide on the budget again under Article one, with a request of $1,631,083, of which $1,457,744 is for salaries and $173,339 is for expenses.
This amount was agreed upon by both the Finance Committee and the Select Board. Select Board member Marc Strout recused himself and was not present during the vote.
The amount is $33,841 less than the $1,664,924 that was rejected during the annual town meeting.
During the Select Board meeting on Monday, Police Chief Deanna Strout highlighted an error in their spreadsheet where the $14,000 for new equipment did not transfer over when presenting the budget to the Finance Committee.
This meant the budget was accidentally $14,000 short for new equipment purchases.
"We are going to eat our mistake. So we're not asking for any changes to this. We're going to do our best to stay within this budget. We're just not going to be able to buy any new equipment. It's our error," Strout said.
She emphasized that next year, this amount will have to be reinvested in the budget.
Select Board Vice Chairman Daniel Esko recommended putting the amount back in and presenting it to the town meeting.
However, board members agreed not to revise the budget because this amount was agreed upon with the Finance Committee after a collaboration meeting between three members of the Finance Committee, two Select Board members, Police Department officials, and the town manager.
It was demonstrated that if the department is in dire need of equipment replacement during the year, a transfer request from the reserve fund can be made.
Voters will also decide whether to transfer $59,000 from free cash to fund professional and technical work, including the possibility of a lawyer and an engineering company, to ensure the compliance of Berkshire Concrete Corp.'s special permit and town orders. More information here.
For the last seven months, several dozen residents have been going to numerous meetings in town urging action to stop sand from leaving parcel No. 105-16, owned by Berkshire Concrete, a subsidiary of Petricca Industries.
During public outcry, it was discovered that a "clerical error" had omitted parcel No. 105-16 from the permit application, resulting in a cease and desist order to stop the dust from leaving the site.
The residents organized a Clean Air Coalition to provide updates on what they described as slow progress towards a resolution.
Several months passed, and residents still felt unheard by Petricca Industries and believed the board's letters to their lawyers were performative and did not resolve the issue.
Since then, residents emphasized the need to "stop reacting and start acting."
The conditions on the site improved, but a portion of the unauthorized dig site was not reclaimed because the coalition stated that Petricca and Alan LeBihan plan to apply for a special permit in June or July to continue excavating on lot 105-16, located at the back of Raymond Drive.
The coalition also claimed that Petricca was "reluctant to have continuous dust pollution monitoring installed on the perimeter of Lot 105-16 and other key areas on the eastern edge of Berkshire Concrete's operation."
Also on the warrant, is a request to amend Article 22 from the annual town meeting warrant, which appropriated from free cash $250,000 to purchase and equip a truck with sewer flushing equipment for the Department of Public Works.
The warrant seeks voters approval of the transfer from free cash an additional $20,000 for the purchase.
At the last town meeting, voters approved replacing the DPW's sewer truck, which is a 1992 International that was an Army surplus.
"We use it to tow the trailer, which is a 2007, which has, I think, a little over 3,000 hours on it," said Edward "Bud" Hall, DPW superintendent. However, not enough funds were allocated for the purchase.
During the town meeting, Hall cautioned that the quotes for a truck and trailer were closer to $275,000, not $250,000; however, the town only approved $250,000.
In a follow-up, Hall explained that the Finance Committee did not get input from him when the committee amended the article.
Also included in the warrant is a request to reduce the amount allocated for the fiscal 2026 operating budget by $90,500 because of lower amounts identified during the town audit and sewer treatment evaluation.
The town is also seeking approval to transfer $40,391 from free cash to cover a deficit in the "Snow and Ice" account. Of that amount, $23,461 is for salaries and $16,930 is for expenses.
Finally, there is also an article to rescind the appropriation of $34,116 from the Sewer Stabilization Account to cover the City of Pittsfield's additional costs for sewage treatment.
Following the town meeting, it was determined that the town does not require this additional amount. The original budget is sufficient to cover the revised invoice from Pittsfield, which has been reduced by $141,292.
Tags: Dalton Police, special town meeting,
