PITTSFIELD, Mass. — City government wants to engage residents more and will launch a 10-week "citizens academy" to learn about how local government works.
The program is headed by the mayor's Executive Assistant Catherine Van Bramer. She said the program, starting in September, will bring a group of up to 20 citizens together for two-hour sessions to really get to know various aspects of government.
"Many times when we are talking to residents in the community we often find ourselves helping them navigate their government. We help them understand a variety of things. We help them learn how to report a streetlight out. How they obtain a birth certificate. How they have potholes filled. How they find out what activities are happening. How to start a new business or how to expand an existing one," Van Bramer said.
"The citizens academy is a way we can provide residents with an inside perspective into what local government is and an example of what we do on a daily basis."
Each session from 6 to 8 p.m. will focus on different departments. Van Bramer and a department head will essentially teach the class all about the services and work that department does. Van Bramer said the goals of the academy is to create stronger connections with residents, enhance the community's understanding of the services offered, increase participation in local government, and get more volunteers involved.
Applications will be available on June 1 and the deadline to apply is June 29. Van Bramer came up with the idea after going to a Massachusetts Municipal Association conference in which other communities had provided a similar program.
"It is our hope to hold a citizens academy in Pittsfield on an annual basis," Van Bramer said.
At this point, she isn't sure how many people will want to participate. She hopes that there is more interest than the 20 spots available and if so, she would then develop criteria for who is chosen. Those who aren't selected will fall onto a waiting list to participate in the next one.
"I want to have a diverse range, age, gender, background. I want to make sure we're not particularly concentrating on one audience," Van Bramer said.
The plan got rave reviews from the City Council.
"I think it is great, anything we can do to engage our residents in government more," said Ward 2 Councilor Kevin Morandi.
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Pittsfield School Committee OKs $82M Budget, $1.5M Cuts
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school budget is less grim than the original proposal but still requires more than $1.5 million in cuts.
On Thursday, the School Committee approved an $82.8 million spending plan for fiscal year 2025, including a city appropriation of $80.4 million and $2.4 million in Chapter 70 funds.
The cuts made to balance the budget include about 50 staff reductions — some due to the sunsetting of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.
"The final version does not answer all needs. It will be unacceptable to some or to many but I must say that tonight's final proposal is very different than where we started when we believed we would have a $3,600,000 reduction. I want to assure everyone that every effort has been made to minimize the impact on both students, families, and staff members while also ensuring that our district has the necessary resources to progress forward," Superintendent Joseph Curtis said.
"Nevertheless, there are incredibly passionate, dedicated staff members who will not be with us next year. This pains me as I've been a part of this organization for now 30 years so I want to assure everyone that our team, this has weighed very heavily in our hearts, this entire process. This is not a group of people that is looking at a spreadsheet saying ‘Well that can go and this can go’ and take that lightly."
Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke and other officials worked with the state Department of Secondary and Elementary Education to rectify an error in the Chapter 70 funding formula, recognized 11 more low-income students in the district, and added an additional $2.4 million to the FY25 budget.
Curtis commented that when he first saw the governor’s FY25 budget, he was "rather stunned."
"The extraordinary circumstances we face this budget season by the conclusion of the substantial ESSER federal grant and a significant reduction in Chapter 70 allotment caused challenges for this team and our school principals and our educators and our staff that have been nothing short of all-consuming," he said.
Downtown Pittsfield Inc. proposed angled parking on North Street and was pleasantly surprised that the city responded with an in-depth study and new plans — even if they don't include angled parking.
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Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.
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Albert Ingegni III was applauded for four decades of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals during City Council. Mayor Peter Marchetti presented him with a certificate of thanks for his commitment to the community.
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