Adams Selectmen OK Budget Items

By Jen ThomasiBerkshires Staff
03:30PM / Thursday, February 28, 2008Print Story | Email Story

ADAMS - The town's last budget hearing passed with little fanfare, as the Selectman unanimously recommended all of the line items for the Council on Aging, veterans services, the treasurer and Community Development Department.

"It was quick and easy," said Selectman Edward MacDonald after the meeting Wednesday.

With very little discussion and even fewer changes to the proposed budget, the Selectmen (minus Donald R. Sommer, who was away on business) tackled the four departments in little more than an hour. This is the last scheduled hearing before the budget moves on the finance committee for review.

In cooperation with Donna Cesan, the town's community development director, the board unanimously approved budgets for the Conservation Commission, Planning Board, Zoning Board, community development, Historical Commission and the town's inspectors.

Funding that Cesan said was unnecessary in the conservation commission's budget (a $940 management consulting line item) was moved to the Planning Board to dedicate more consideration to discussing changes to the town's sign bylaws - a concern the Selectmen regularly hear from business owners. Cesan and the board said they hope to create a subcommittee that would specifically examine the bylaw's restrictions on signage.

The Selectmen also approved a motion to create a subcommittee to re-evaluate the town's fee structure for various permits in town and will vote again on the budget for the building inspector to reflect overtime pay for the code enforcement officer.

Also, the Agricultural Commission was alloted a budget for the first time this fiscal year, receiving $1,000.

Veterans Services

The night's only real discussion came before the approval of the veterans services $30,571 budget, when MacDonald and Veterans Agent William Bradley voiced annoyance over the lack of access to veterans facilities in Vermont.

"Everyone talks about the war and the value of our veterans, until it comes to veterans services," said MacDonald. "It's OK for our vets to get their cans blown off but they can't get facilities."

MacDonald said it was "unfair" to send Massachusetts veterans to the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, where there is often a waiting list, when there are empty beds at the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington. The conflict is the result of the state's refusal to allow veterans to use state-subsidized medical care at the Vermont home, which MacDonald and Bradley called a "better facility."

"It annoys me how we stand up and put our hands over our hearts to salute the flag and say how patriotic we are, but when it comes to taking care of our veterans, we're not taking them to where they need to go," said MacDonald.

Final budget decisions on a variety of line items are expected to be reviewed at next Wednesday's regular Selectmen meeting.

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Of course, the budget deliberations don't account for possible expenditures through the warrant. Given the school districts desire to fund the project manager and preliminary work ups through the warrant at this years town meeting, all bets should be off the table. Despite what may be said to the contrary, I guarantee you that the board has not taken this into account. Discussions about closing Memorial school, retaining a portion of the building for the community and condo-ing the remaining larger section (plus a sale of the East St property when the market was high) were held three years ago as part of a finance committee subcommittee meeting(s). This shouldn't be new news but it will be and none of the potential expenditures have been accounted for in any form through a strategic planning process. The boards desire is to keep taxes low and they can do that, artificially (free cash reallocation and high property values)for maybe one more year. But as property values fall and budget expenditures rise significantly (school project, Glen and general infrastructure), this WILL be the last year the board will be able to get away with it. Don't get misled by election year rhetoric regarding lower taxes...it will be IMPOSSIBLE to continue as is without MAJOR budget cuts or significantly higher taxes. Please take this into account when you ask the board and board candidates the tough questions.
from: Amused	on: 02-29-2008 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Good points, Amused. Especially with the news of the school district putting items as warrant articles after the budget is done. That is one sure way to increase the tax rate! I agree that taxes are high enough, especially with the higher values compounding the dilemna. Free cash can only last so long - and then it's gone. But how can the town of Adams change its direction now? Budgets seem to be trimmed, although I don't really know. Has the school district delved into their budget to help out the town or are they just expecting the taxpayers to bail them out? Lots of questions - not too many answers.
from: ProActive	on: 02-29-2008 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

There are always creative, legal ways to manage municipal or professional budgets to maximize investment return and take advantage of interest rate cycles. Right now the town should be looking at all of their long-term borrowings and examining the prospects of rewriting debt. We did it four years ago and bought ourselves some time. The school funding will obviously be a borrowing...and with rates as they are, now is the time. Can we do it without raising tax rates? Absolutely. But it takes serious team effort on the part of all concerned including the school district. Tax rates technically went down two years ago....on paper. Taxes did not. Property valuations jumped significantly allowing the town to give the appearances of a lowered tax rate...that was it. Values are now plummeting and the town, in another year or so, will have to meet budget by increasing the rate to make up the difference. Can the budget be trimmed? Yes....but you'd now be cutting muscle and bone...there is no more fat to trim. The first things to go would be social programs such as elder transport, youth-oriented programs, veterans services, the forest warden....programs such as that. That's not a good thing. A healthy community should be able to provide those services. These are scary and difficult times and our board should be putting in extra hours examining opportunities and petitioning the good people of our community for professional assistance. Schools are struggling. They are underfunded by the state while state mandated programs continue to burden already stretched community budgets. It's time schools reached out to the community at-large and the private sector and creatively found ways to achieve their mission. Ideas were floated four years ago and were ignored. It's time to get everyone back to the table again to talk about where we want to be. We need to grow our commercial and industrial sectors and encourage new housing growth through well-managed development projects. The townspeople cannot afford to pay more than they already do so we need to find a way to divide up the pie further.
from: Amused	on: 03-01-2008 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

...and I do appreciate your mindset Proactive. We need involved, positive thinkers in our community. If you're not aleady involved with the town at an administrative or political level, please consider it. I considered myself very proactive and involved at one time. I simply got tired of the petty back-room politics and inflated egos that seemed to blossom when times appeared to be good and the town was making inroads. There is no time like the present to change course. It isn't that hard. It is just a matter of how badly we want it.
from: Amused	on: 03-01-2008 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Cheshire Town Meeting Oks Budgets, Debates Potential Prop 2 1/2 Override

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
10:12PM / Monday, June 08, 2026

Moderator Carol Francesconi, left, and Anne Marie Furey were presented flowers in memory of the Rev. William Furey, their brother and husband, respectively. The town report was dedicated to him.

CHESHIRE, Mass. — Town meeting on Monday approved all 35 articles on the annual meeting warrant, including a total spending for fiscal 2027 of more than $8.5 million.

Some 77 of the town's more than 2,500 registered voters filled the Cheshire Community House meeting room, debating on a number of articles during the meeting that lasted nearly three hours

The town dedicated its annual report to the Rev. William David Furey, longtime pastor of First Baptist Church and more recently Berkshire Union Chapel in Lanesborough. Furey died last year at age 77.

His wife, Anne Marie Furey, and his sister, Town Moderator Carol Francesconi, were presented with a bouquet of flowers in tribute to him.

He was an exemplary member of the community who left a lasting impression in each and every life that he touched, said Town Clerk Whitney Flynn.

Voters approved several warrant articles that make up an operating budget of $3,840,314 for fiscal 2027. Of this amount, $1,642,481 is allocated for the general government budget, which was approved after clarification of a few questions.

One item was the administrative assistant's salary. Prior to the annual meeting, the town eliminated the executive assistant salary of $54,309 in favor of a part-time administrative assistant salary of $27,155, to reduce costs considering the financial constraint the town is in.

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