Letter: Support Puddester for Planning Board

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To the Editor:

I write to urge support for Susan Puddester for the 5-year term on the Williamstown Planning Board. I worked side by side with Susan on the Higher Ground board of directors after Tropical Storm Irene devastated the Spruces Mobile Home Park. Through her work with park residents, town committees, public and private organizations, and the Higher Ground board, I know Susan to be discerning, thoughtful, honest and fair.

Susan would bring no agenda with her to the Planning Board other than a desire to make the best decisions on behalf of all Williamstown residents. I wholeheartedly endorse her candidacy and recommend that you vote for her on May 10.
 

Catherine Yamamoto
Sparta, N.J.

Yamamoto resided in Williamstown, Mass., for 30 years prior to moving to New Jersey six months ago.

 

 


Tags: election 2016,   endorsement,   


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Mount Greylock School Committee Votes Slight Increase to Proposed Assessments

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee on Thursday voted unanimously to slightly increase the assessment to the district's member towns from the figures in the draft budget presented by the administration.
 
The School Committee opted to lower the use of Mount Greylock's reserve account by $70,000 and, instead, increase by that amount the share of the fiscal year 2025 operating budget shared proportionally by Lanesborough and Williamstown taxpayers.
 
The budget prepared by the administration and presented to the School Committee at its annual public hearing on Thursday included $665,000 from the district's Excess and Deficiency account, the equivalent of a municipal free cash balance, an accrual of lower-than-anticipated expenses and higher-than-anticipated revenue in any given year.
 
That represented a 90 percent jump from the $350,000 allocated from E&D for fiscal year 2024, which ends on June 30. And, coupled with more robust use of the district's tuition revenue account (7 percent more in FY25) and School Choice revenue (3 percent more), the draw down on E&D is seen as a stopgap measure to mitigate a spike in FY25 expenses and an unsustainable budgeting strategy long term, administrators say.
 
The budget passed by the School Committee on Thursday continues to rely more heavily on reserves than in years past, but to a lesser extent than originally proposed.
 
Specifically, the budget the panel approved includes a total assessment to Williamstown of $13,775,336 (including capital and operating costs) and a total assessment to Lanesborough of $6,425,373.
 
As a percentage increase from the FY24 assessments, that translates to a 3.90 percent increase to Williamstown and a 3.38 percent increase to Lanesborough.
 
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