Lanesborough Board OKs Budget, Warrant Article Changes
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board last week approved the fiscal 2027 draft budget and made slight changes in the warrant articles impending town vote.
The proposed spending plan has an increase of a little over 10 percent. Some of the main budget increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Another notable increase was in the life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
"I'd like everybody to know that the Town Hall staff, everybody, the Police Department, Fire Department, the DPW, they really looked over their budgets and went down to bare bones. I want to give them credit for that, because I think the townspeople should know that we are not only as a Select Board, as a town administrator, we are all looking to keep our taxes within a reasonable amount," said Chair Deborah Maynard.
"And I want you all to realize that the town staff and the departments have really brought their budgets down to bare bones. And I'm making this because the school department, in my opinion, and this is my opinion only, has not done their due diligence in bringing their budget under control over a 10 percent increase. I think regardless of what the insurance went up, I still think that they could have cut their budget a little more."
Maynard was the only no vote in endorsing the budget.
The free cash warrant articles for the annual town meeting were approved with a couple of changes since last meeting.
The board added the transfer of $1,200 from free cash to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of all town-owned vehicles.
Instead of transferring $200,000 from free cash for the replacement of a fire engine, voters instead will be asked to transfer $380,000 from the fire truck stabilization fund and authorize the treasurer to borrow up to $700,000 with approval from the Select Board.
An article asking to increase the Zoning Board of Appeals membership from three to five members was withdrawn as board member Michael Murphy felt it was not needed anymore.
Other changes was withdrawal of free cash article of $3,200 for the Assessors WebPro online search software after public comment from Barbara Hassan addressed a miscommunication with the assessors property card format. Officials want to find another way to get the information that will not cost the town.
The annual town meeting is Tuesday, June 9, at 6 p.m. Lanesborough Elementary School. The annual town election will take place June 16 at Town Hall with polls open noon until 8 p.m.
In other business, solar developer Kirt Mayland updated the board about the solar array project at Old Orebed Road and the work with EDF Power Solutions, which was the highest bidder on the project in 2022 and has been working to bring a solar array on the capped landfill.
The group recently finished an interconnection study with Eversource and connected with ISO New England to make sure they did not have any effects on the transmission system. The price was affordable with Eversource and can move forward if allowed.
EDF's last option agreement was terminated in January, and since 2022 it has been paying $5,000 to extend services, looking to extend again with the town.
The company will also pay for a lease on the property around $11,000 an acre; the land is roughly 10 to 11 acres, going up over 1 percent a year.
EDF does have to go through the Planning Board and is seeing if they could be permitted as municipal use to avoid delays in a special permit process that could take up to nine months.
"They would have to get a special permit from the Planning Board. But if it's considered a municipal use under those definitions, which is pretty broad, it really says any use of land in accordance with the general laws governing municipal powers and functions, which obviously includes leasing town land or town buildings, is one of your municipal powers of function," said Mayland. "So if they are categorized as a municipal use, then they are permitted as of right, and they would just have to go through, in my interpretation, Site Plan Review, and then get a building electrical permit.
"And so they did put a provision in the option agreement, indicating that this would be a municipal use. And I think the reason they did that is because as of on or around July 4 they lose their federal tax credits, which is 40 percent of their project costs, if they don't start construction."
The board members delayed signing off on the proposal until the next meeting so they can ask for the building inspector's interpretation.
• Berkshire Mall owner JMJ Holdings was supposed to send an amended contract to board but did not meet the deadline. The warrant article on the dissolution of the Baker Hill Road District, part of the deal with the JMJ, is still pending and there will be a Select Board meeting on May 26, which will be informational on the dissolution.
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