Berkshire Benchmarks Releases State of the County Update

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Benchmarks data team recently released a State of the County Update for 2023. 
 
This brief report builds on the Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year. The berkshirebenchmarks.org website has also been updated to reflect the most current available data. 
 
The purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges.
 
The 2022 Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County report provided a comprehensive overview of our region's performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.  
 
In the future, the Berkshire Benchmarks team will continue to monitor these and other indicators to aid with the regional understanding of changes in these sectors and whether the work happening throughout the region is having the intended impact. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks is a collaborative initiative managed through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC). Our sources are publicly available data, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, various Massachusetts data sets, and periodic surveys of Berkshire County residents. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks aims to work with the community to understand priorities and help inform the region on how we are doing and if we are improving. Berkshire Benchmarks enhances the region's access to quality data and analysis. 

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Dalton to Hold Special Town Meeting Monday

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — Voters will reconvene Monday for a special town meeting to decide on six articles, including an item to permit mobile accessory dwelling units. 
 
The meeting will take place on Monday, June 29, at 7 p.m., at Wahconah Regional High School. 
 
The first article requests voters authorize amending the vote taken on Article 3 at the May 4 annual town meeting allowing the town to increase or decrease funding for one or more departments for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
 
Article 2 requests voters establish a line item for the Clean Air Committee. Subsequently, Article 3, transfers the available funds, that were appropriated at previous town meetings, into the new account. 
 
Article 4 requests voters transfer a sum of money, not yet provided, from the Capital Stabilization Fund to cover costs to the Department of Public Work's roof repair project that exceed borrowing.
 
The most anticipated articles are on amending the town's current bylaws to allow mobile tiny homes, Articles 5 and 6. 
 
For more than two years, Amy Turnbull has been advocating to amend the bylaw but has met obstacles delaying the effort. 
 
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