Letters: Vote on April 24 & Make Your Voice Heard

To the Editor:

We, as Williamstown residents, owe it to our neighbors to get out and voice our choices at the special town meeting that was petitioned by a few residents. There is more at stake than the 10 acres of identified "pristine land." Part of our community, a small community within a community, is also at stake.  

I resided in that community for 15 years until Tropical Storm Irene flooded my home, which resulted in nearly a total loss of my personal possessions, in addition to my home. Where my home once was is now just a cement slab.

The Spruces, even now, is a place where neighbors help neighbors; they have safe space and freedom to ride bikes; have their own flower gardens; walk their dogs and socialize. Because of the flood, I lost that community and because of the housing shortage, I was forced to live outside of Williamstown for over a year. I am grateful to say I was finally able to find housing in Williamstown.

Are we going to allow the additional sacrifices of the Spruces residents to go unnoticed by removing options for development from the table? Do we want to limit the type of housing by limiting the type of land options?

It is too soon to determine what is financially feasible without due diligence. For example: replicating a community, constructing condominiums with an affordable housing component, or multiunit housing?

Phyllis Alcombright
Williamstown
April 16, 2013

Williamstown Fire Committee Sees FY27 Budget with Sizable Operational Increase

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, March 31, 2026

The Prudential Committee held its first meeting in the new station in late March with Treasurer Billie Jo Sawyer, left and committee members Lindsay Neathawk, David Moresi and Craig Pedercini.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Prudential Committee last week reviewed a draft annual fire district meeting warrant that includes an operational expenses budget up 9.4 percent from the figures approved at the May 2025 annual meeting.

 

And, with a new line item added to the district's operational budget the total increase is closer to 24 percent.

 

Last May, meeting members — the meeting is open to all registered voters in town — approved an FY26 spending plan that totaled $686,991.

 

On July 1, the first day of the fiscal year, a special district meeting voted to allocate $40,000 from the district's stabilization fund to the operating budget, effectively raising the baseline to $726,991, a 34 percent increase, year over year, from FY25 to FY26.

 

The July 1 meeting moved $20,000 of stabilization funds to the firefighter pay line and $20,000 to the maintenance and operation line — nearly doubling the former and raising the latter by 75 percent from FY25 to FY26.

 

Both those lines are up again in the planned FY27 budget, but more modestly: 2 percent for M&O (up from $123,000 to $125,500) and 27 percent for firefighter payroll ($110,000 to $139,900).

 

Most of the other line items net out to no significant change; some are up a little, some are down a little.