Greylock Insurance Agency Wins Award From Insurance Group

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Greylock Insurance Agency recently won a "Chairman's Circle" award from the Arbella Insurance Group for reaching the highest levels of performance in 2013.

The award was presented at a dinner and awards ceremony in Lake George, N.Y.

"We are so honored to have won a Chairman's Circle award from Arbella. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the GIA team. It means even more because we won out over so many bigger and older insurance agencies," Sharon MacEachern, operations manager at GIA, said.

The Chairman's Circle award is given to agents meeting Arbella's highest standards, which include customer retention, production and satisfaction. Each year, one of the award winners is presented a trophy at the dinner. This year, GIA was the agency chosen to receive its award at the ceremony from Arbella Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President John F. Donohue.

Greylock Insurance Agency is a subsidiary of Greylock Federal Credit Union with six locations countywide. GIA handles commercial and personal lines including automobile, homeowner, life, disability and long-term care insurance, all forms of bonding, and 24/7 claims service.

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Pittsfield Reviews Financial Condition Before FY27 Budget

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The average single-family home in Pittsfield has increased by more than 40 percent since 2022. 

This was reported during a joint meeting of the City Council and School Committee on March 19, when the city's financial condition was reviewed ahead of the fiscal year 2027 budget process.

Mayor Peter Marchetti said the administration is getting "granular" with line items to find cost savings in the budget.  At the time, they had spoken to a handful of departments, asking tough questions and identifying vacancies and retirements. 

Last fiscal year’s $226,246,942 spending plan was a nearly 4.8 percent increase from FY24. 

In the last five years, the average single-family home in Pittsfield has increased 42 percent, from $222,073 in 2022 to $315,335 in 2026. 

"Your tax bill is your property value times the tax rate," the mayor explained. 

"When the tax rate goes up, it's usually because property values have gone down. When the property values go up, the tax rate comes down." 

Tax bills have increased on average by $280 per year over the last five years; the average home costs $5,518 annually in 2026. In 2022, the residential tax rate was $18.56 per thousand dollars of valuation, and the tax rate is $17.50 in 2026. 

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