 Cheshire Town Meeting Approves $6.6M Budget, Rejects Pot BylawsVoters did approve amended versions of the 16 other articles on the annual town meeting warrant during a nearly three-hour session held in the Hoosac Valley High School gym.  iBerkshiresTV: Cheshire Town Meeting 2020 PreviewiBerkshiresTV host Jeff Snoonian speaks with Selectmen Chairwoman Michelle Francesconi and Town Administrator Edmund St. John IV about the upcoming annual town meeting, the budget voters will decide and the precautions being put in place because of COVID-19. The annual town meeting is being held at Hoosac Valley High School on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 6:30 p.m.  Cheshire Would See Rise in Tax Rate With 2021 Budget ProposalThe Finance Committee recommended using $376,000 in free cash to offset the tax increase necessitated by the town's rising costs. The Selectmen had decided to reduce last year's offset number from $140,000 to $110,000.  Williamstown's Meeting Under the Lights Passes 'Light Plant' ProposalTown Clerk Nicole Pedercini reported that the vote — like most town meeting actions — was a landslide, with 271 voters approving and nine voting against.  Adams Schedules September Town Meeting at Bowe FieldSome towns have even gone back to the future and utilized drive-in movie FM technology to conduct town meetings. Adams chose Bowe Field on Old Columbia Street that has long been the host of the Adams Agricultural Fair.  Williamstown Town Meeting Rejects Pot BylawsWilliamstown's four-hour annual town meeting Tuesday likely will have the result of the Planning Board taking up the night's most contentious issue for another go at the 2021 annual town meeting.  Letter: Vote Yes on 33, No on 34We should not agree to postpone Article 33 until next year's town meeting. We'll need Article 33's insurance in the meantime against the intense development pressures we've already seen big cannabis bring to town.  Letter: Reefer Madness in WilliamstownThe days of prohibition are over: today distilleries, breweries and vineyards are popular lucrative tourist attractions. Soon enough, we will realize that niche marijuana growing presents that same opportunity. Let's protect our Williamstown farmers' rare chance to do more than break even.  Letter: Postpone Pot Vote in WilliamstownTwo conflicting, confusing, and deficient articles are posted to the town warrant this year. The two articles were drafted without proper community input in one case and technical finesse in another.  Voters Should Arrive Early for Williamstown's Outdoor Annual MeetingIn addition to the meeting warrant, voters at next Tuesday's gathering will be issued separate cards for voting yea and nay — just one of the modifications in place to accommodate the first outdoor meeting on record.  Williamstown Planners Advise Town Meeting Postpone Action on Pot BylawsIn a split decision on Tuesday, the Planning Board voted to recommend town meeting take no action on either of the proposed zoning bylaw amendments related to the production of marijuana.  Letter: No Complaints in Sheffield on Outdoor Pot FarmsDigging a little deeper, the issues were typically associated with large industrial-scale operations, almost always with indoor production facilities, predominately in western states with far less stringent regulations than Massachusetts.  Letter: Bright Future for Outdoor Marijuana Cultivation in WilliamstownAs a small vegetable farmer in Williamstown, I am a strong supporter of the citizens petition on outdoor marijuana cultivation that will be voted on at the Williamstown town meeting on Aug. 18.  Williamstown Ag Commission Weighs Tabling of Two Pot Bylaw ProposalsThe Agricultural Commission on Monday floated the idea of recommending town meeting next week take no action on either marijuana bylaw amendment on the warrant.  Letter: Town Meeting Vote: 'Bend The Arc Toward Racial Justice'On Aug. 18, Williamstown residents will have the opportunity to vote on the NIOC pledge. A vote for this pledge is an acknowledgement, a collective addressing, and a commitment to inclusiveness, tolerance and respect for all — and is one way to reverse the very real wrongs and historical instances of ugliness in the Village Beautiful.  State Aid Numbers in Hand, Adams Eyes September Town MeetingRecent clarification on state aid numbers will likely lead to holding the annual town meeting in September, according to Town Administrator Jay Green.  Deadline Friday to Register for Williamstown Town MeetingThe deadline to register for the Aug. 18 annual town meeting is Friday, Aug. 7.  Williamstown Select Board Splits on Town Meeting Pot ArticlesThe Select Board on Monday was mostly unanimous in its recommendations to town meeting about the items on the annual meeting warrant. But there were a few exceptions — principally on an issue that has dominated discussions at the Planning Board for months.  Williamstown Select Board Recommends Social Justice Articles to Town MeetingThe Select Board on Monday recommended to town meeting passage of two warrant articles designed to address issues of racial equity and diversity after reconsidering an earlier decision to make no recommendation on one of the measures.  Cheshire Digs Deeper Into School Project, Sets Town Meeting DateThe Board of Selectmen continue to keep the redevelopment of the former Cheshire School on the front boiler.  Williamstown Preparing Town Meeting Warrant for AugustMuch of the agenda looks as it did when plans for a May meeting were put on hold at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic this winter.  Williamstown Sets Mid-August Outdoor Town Meeting DateOn Wednesday, the Select Board approved Town Manager Jason Hoch's proposal for an outdoor town meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m.  Clarksburg Town Meeting Passes $4.6M Budget, OKs Truck PurchaseThe meeting, held on the lawn of the Senior Center because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, swiftly approved a town budget of $4,565,710 and the purchase of a new Department of Public Works truck for $250,000.  Clarksburg Voters to See Reduced Budget at Town MeetingSelect Board Chairman Ronald Boucher had been against considering the truck and adding $50,000-plus in debt annually for the next five years.  Spring Street Will Be Closed Saturday for Outdoor DiningAt the end of Monday's more than 2 1/2-hour meeting of the Select Board, Chair Jane Patton announced that the street will be closed from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday. |
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