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The North Adams City Council should be prepared to allocate any state aid that the city my receive, the mayor said Tuesday.

Alcombright Urges Council To Prepare For Emergency State Aid

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Mayor Richard Alcombright urged the City Council to prepared for the state to provide an additional $750,000.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Mayor Richard Alcombright is urging the City Council to target areas for $750,000 in emergency state aid.
 
A one-time, emergency $750,000 state aid payment to help get help the city out of financial trouble is pending in the state Legislature.
 
While the mayor doesn't know the most recent status of those funds, he urged the City Council to determine what the city’s “rock bottom” is and what services or projects should receive priority should those funds be approved.
 
"I do think that we are a couple of levels below rock bottom," Alcombright said.
 
"I do think there are some things we can restore with that [state aid money], and I do think that we need to be very thoughtful on how we do that, particularly around the areas of public safety and education."
 
The mayor said the money could be used to restore a police or other position proposed to be cut. Or some of the money could be used to support the schools which had to cut $827,000 from their budget. Some of it could be put into the stabilization account so the city can prepare for the next fiscal year.
 
Alcombright does expect that as the money goes through he legislative process, limitations may be set on how the funds are used.
 
"I think we need to know first of all is it coming, what does it look like when it comes, is it restricted at all, are there any strings attached, or can we just use it the way we want," the mayor said. "When that happens we will come back with recommendations to Finance Committee and go from there."
 
The City Council referred the proposed budget — with $12,719 in additional cuts — to the Finance Committee on Tuesday but they too agree that the city should be prepared for those emergency funds.
 
The current $37,729,404 budget proposal is 3.39 percent higher than last fiscal year and has cuts in public services, public safety and maintenance projects. With depleted reserves, the budget will only sustain the city through the 2015 fiscal year, Alcombright has warned. 
 
The Finance Committee will review the budget Thursday night. 

Tags: North Adams City Council,   

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Clarksburg Gets 3 Years of Free Cash Certified

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Town officials have heaved a sigh of relief with the state's certification of free cash for the first time in more than three years.
 
The town's parade of employees through its financial offices the past few years put it behind on closing out its fiscal years between 2021 and 2023. A new treasurer and two part-time accountants have been working the past year in closing the books and filing with the state.
 
The result is the town will have $571,000 in free cash on hand as it begins budget deliberations. However, town meeting last year voted that any free cash be used to replenish the stabilization account
 
Some $231,000 in stabilization was used last year to reduce the tax rate — draining the account. The town's had minimal reserves for the past nine months.
 
Chairman Robert Norcross said he didn't want residents to think the town was suddenly flush with cash. 
 
"We have to keep in mind that we have no money in the stabilization fund and we now have a free cash, so we have now got to replenish that account," he said. "So it's not like we have this money to spend ... most of it will go into the stabilization fund." 
 
The account's been hit several times over the past few fiscal years in place of free cash, which has normally been used for capital spending, to offset the budget and to refill stabilization. Free cash was last used in fiscal 2020.
 
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