WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday voted to postpone the town election and annual town meeting, but the town manager explained why he does not favor postponing the property tax bills that are due on May 1.

 

The first moves are a response to the COVID-19 pandemic that currently restricts large gatherings through state regulations. The state of emergency in effect throughout the commonwealth currently is in place through May 4, but that date could be extended, putting the May 12 town election and May 19 town meeting dates in jeopardy.

 

To get ahead of that possibility, the board voted unanimously to move the election to June 23 and the town meeting to a date to be determined.

 

Setting the date now for the town election will allow the town clerk to send out absentee ballots with a deadline for their return. The town has a little more flexibility about when it holds its town meeting, even assuming the commonwealth continues to hold municipalities to a June 30 deadline for approving fiscal 2021 budgets.

 

The board discussed a number of options for the town meeting, including holding it on the same evening as the election, holding it on June 30 itself or moving it to another day of the week in between, although at least one member said their gut tells them to keep it on a Tuesday for continuity's sake.

 

Both the election and the town meeting when held will have their standard "brick and mortar" formats. There is no provision in state law for a "virtual" town meeting, and local elections must include an election day with in-person voting.

 

As for the tax bill, Town Manager Jason Hoch said he does not believe that giving an extension, as other communities are doing, is an effective way of helping those who are struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic.

 

"I'd rather work with the individual," Hoch said. "If May 1 is going to be a challenge for people, I'd suspect June 1 would be a challenge. I don't want to offer the false hope of kicking the can down the road. … It's an arbitrary solution if you move the date back from May 1 to June 1."

 

A real solution for individuals is to call or email Town Treasurer and Collector Rachel Vadnais, who is available to talk to individual taxpayers about ways to help, Hoch said.

 

Vadnais said so herself in a posting on the town's website.

 

"We recognize that this is not an ideal time for some to be receiving these bills given the current uncertainty," Vadnais wrote. "While the Town is in a strong financial position, we cannot operate and meet the obligations of funding our schools and Town without sending these bills twice a year. Now, more than ever, we are aware that unforeseen circumstances and hardships can make it challenging to meet these obligations. Should you foresee having difficulty in your ability to make your payment, please contact me to work out an arrangement that may help alleviate the pressures of meeting the deadline."

 

Hoch noted that it is possible to get penalties waived for late payment.

 

"The same bill [that allows the deadlines to be moved] allows us to waive interest and penalties on anything paid by June 30 … but you have to talk to us," Hoch said. "There's no financial harm as long as you reach out to us."

 

On a positive note, the town is happy with the rate of payment it has seen so far.

 

"We're grateful and continue to be impressed by the number of payments coming in day to day," Hoch said. "We have a high level of payment already, and we're all appreciative of that."

 

Most of Monday's meeting was dedicated to talk of the town's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including praise from Hoch for the way Town Hall staff is helping the community adjust to the state of emergency.

 

"This is a time when people have struggled with meals, food, shopping," Hoch said. "People are finding themselves challenged in some of those areas they've never thought about before.

 

"Regardless of your age, the Council on Aging has become our primary clearinghouse for information on this. If you follow updates on the web page and Facebook page, you'll find almost daily updates from Brian O'Grady. Yes, they come from the Council on Aging … but even if you feel you're not in that target age group, take a moment and read through them. There's a lot of good information Brian is getting out there in terms of food and medical services."

 

Hoch also hailed the work of Deb Dane and Willnet on the information front. The town's community access television station made a seamless transition to telecasting the virtual public meetings that are being employed at the town and school district, and those meetings are available for playback both on cable television and the Willinet website.

 

He said the town and the North Berkshire COVID-19 Command Center continue to monitor the situation at Williamstown Commons, which has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus.

 

"Our hearts go out to everybody involved in that on all fronts: family, residents, staff," Hoch said. 

 

"I can say the staff at Williamstown Commons has been working closely with the Northern Berkshire operations room. The Mass Department of Public Health is putting together protocols for residents, staff and families."

 

Several of the Select Board members used their platform on Monday evening to praise the efforts of townspeople to cope with the new realities of social distancing and stay-at-home orders.

 

"A big shout out to my kids' teachers," Jane Patton said. "They started their remote learning a week ago today. The work my kids' teachers are doing is pretty amazing. If you put your mind to it, you can get it done."

 

Anne O'Connor noted that the spirit of the town cleanup efforts she has helped organize in the past can continue during the state of emergency.

 

"Many people are out walking these days, and if you're out, you can see some of the roadways have quite a bit of litter around," she said. "Litter can be brought to the transfer station as part of your regular trash."

 

And, she noted, at the moment, there is no requirement to use town-issued trash bags at the transfer station, so people should not worry about having to pay to dispose of litter they pick up while on their walks around town.

 

Select Board Chairman Jeffrey Thomas said the COVID-19 crisis requires, among other things, an increase in civility to get through.

 

"I'm struck by the paradox of how calm things are," Thomas said of the town. "It's quiet. It's easy to forget, at least for me, that people are feeling a lot of stress. It may not be shown outwardly. I'm trying to remind myself that this is a time for empathy and giving the benefit of the doubt and being patient with people.

 

"We're all carrying a fair amount of stress in these times."

 

And, Patton noted, it's not always easy to physically demonstrate your empathy and well wishes.

 

"I've been wearing a mask," Patton said. "It makes me sad when I get home because people couldn't see me smile at them."

 

Characteristically, Hugh Daley injected a note of levity into the conversation.

 

"You haven't really lived until you've walked into a bank wearing one of these," he said, donning a mask for the benefit of viewers of the Zoom conference. "I made a deposit the other day, and the whole time I felt: This is just wrong."

 

Then, Daley turned serious.

 

"One way you can show your thanks and respect for workers at essential businesses still operating is to wear a mask when you're out," he said. "At a bare minimum, try to keep your face covered. You may not have the COVID-19 virus, but if you can help limit the spread, that's one of the most respectful things you can do.

 

"'Keep Calm and Wear a Mask' is probably a pretty good slogan right now."