CHESHIRE, Mass. — Newly elected Selectmen Mark Biagini and Jason Levesque attend their first meeting Tuesday.
Selectman Robert Ciskowski and Town Administrator Edmund St. John IV welcomed the victors from Monday's election and the board was reorganized.
"I would just like to congratulate and welcome our new members," St. John said. "I very much look forward to working with all of you."
Ciskowski was elected chairman, Biagini was elected clerk, and Levesque will take on superintendent of buildings and grounds.
Instead of Town Hall, the full board held its first meeting at the Community Center, which St. John hoped would be more accommodating to the public.
"Moving forward as you can see we are meeting in a new location," he said. "The hope is that more people can attend our meetings and see first hand how the government works for them."
The Selectmen's meeting room at Town Hall is cramped with few seats for residents.
St. John added that the location will also allow for meetings to be filmed by Northern Berkshire Community Television.
"They have been wanting to televise our meetings for a while but it just wasn't set up right," he said. "They could actually set up a camera ... and could come in and tape this and make it available for more residents."
The select board members also felt the new larger space would be better when the town votes in two new members, which they agreed they want to do sooner than later.
"I think we need to look at a decision next week. The sooner the better because we can't hold this up any longer," Biagini said. "People are going to start wondering why it is being held up and I think people just want to get this over and done with."
The town voted Monday to accept legislation that would increase the size of the board from three to five members. This initiative goes back to 2015.
St. John said the board has to wait no less than 65 days to call an election. This would mean a special election in July.
Ciskowski said they could wait for the annual election but this would be a year away. St. John noted there is a primary election next March and an upcoming debt exclusion vote.
In other business, the board voted to accept the amended fiscal 2019 Adams-Cheshire Regional School District budget that reduces the town's fourth quarter assessment by $124,892 to mitigate a budgeting error made this year and last.
"We looked at the budget and we made corrections it did not impact the bottom line," Superintendent John Vosburgh said. "It was actually an error that came out in favor of the town of Cheshire."
Business Manager Erika Snyder said the wrong number was used in the assessment formula that resulted in Cheshire being over-assessed and Adams being under-assessed.
"We used an inflated number so when we go to correct it we are going to put a smaller number in the minimum local," she said. "...Then more goes into the over minimum to be assessed at 25 percent to Cheshire...you are seeing a smaller percentage of a larger number."
Snyder said they were able to correct the issues in the yet to be approved fiscal year 2020 budget and wanted to correct the issue within the fiscal year 2019 budget.
She said the school committee voted Monday night to use excess and deficiency funds to lower the assessment to the towns. While Cheshire gets a break on their assessment Adams will have to pay back $53,000 to the district over a payment plan.
Snyder said both communities must approve this amendment and if they don't the town’s have 45 days to hold a town meeting. If the plan ultimately fails it is out of the district’s hands and Adams would be responsible for paying the difference to Cheshire directly.
The selectmen did not want to hold up the vote but were concerned that the district could not afford this additional use of free cash.
Snyder said the district’s budget is healthy and can make the allocation.
"We will need to slowly reduce the amount of E and D we are using but that was the case even before this," she said. "We will continue this trend of monitoring it but it's not putting us in a financial situation where it will be turned around and assessed to you."
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Cheshire Tag Sale and Bazaar
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Cheshire Community Association (CCA) announced the return of the Cheshire Community Tag Sale and Bazaar for its second year.
Scheduled for Saturday, May 11, 2024, from 9 AM to 1 PM, the event offers a day of treasure hunting, local craftsmanship, and treats at the Cheshire Community House located at 191 Church St, Cheshire.
Attendees can explore a variety of offerings, including handmade crafts, antiques, collectibles, and food options. The hot food truck, operated by the Berkshire Lodge of Masons AF & AM, will be stationed in the courtyard, serving up treats throughout the event.
One of the highlights of this year's event is the fundraising raffle, with all proceeds set to benefit the Cheshire Food Pantry. Participants can purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win prizes, supporting a worthy cause that serves the local community.
Registration for vendors interested in participating in the bazaar is currently open, with fees ranging from $10 to $30. Cheshire residents looking to showcase their items from home can have their locations advertised on the event map for a fee of $10. The deadline for registration is set for Friday, April 26, 2024.
Registration forms can be obtained from various locations across Cheshire, including A to Z Printing, Cheshire Community House, Cheshire Library, Cheshire Glassworks, Cheshire Senior Center, the Cheshire Community Association Facebook page, and the Cheshire Town website.
For more information about the event, including vendor registration and sponsorship opportunities, interested parties are encouraged to contact Jenny Gadbois at (413) 841-0844 or via email at jlgadbois@icloud.com.
Taylor Garabedian scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Abby Scialabba scored 16 points for the ‘Canes, who got 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists from Ashlyn Lesure. click for more
On Saturday afternoon at Lowell’s Tsongas Center, the Hurricanes will take aim at Division 5 State Championships in girls and boys basketball. click for more
Pittsfield High's Matt Dupuis and Lee's Bella Kotek Sunday completed a Berkshire County sweep at the State Bowling Championships at Bowlero.
click for more
Emily Holian’s strike to open the 10th frame of the Wildcats’ second game against Worcester Tech all but assured Lee a team title at Bowlero Chicopee.
click for more
Hoosac struggled to get into rhythm on the offensive end until Joey McGovern got the 3-ball working. McGovern finished the game with 21 points including a triple in the fourth quarter that cemented him in the record books. It took him nearly the whole game but he was able to join the 1,000-point... click for more
Pittsfield High's Eliza Mullen won state title and in the giant slalom and slalom, winning the former discipline by 1.6 seconds and the latter by nearly 2.7 seconds.
click for more