Dalton Select Board Reviews Collector, Debt Budgets

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
04:47PM / Tuesday, March 28, 2023Print Story | Email Story

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board continued its review of the proposed fiscal 2024 budget, going over the line items for the tax collector and town debt.

The tax collector's budget $122,013, up 9.41 percent largely from wage increases and software upgrades.

The collector's salary is increasing from $58,481 to $61,776 and the assistant from $37,608 to $39,031, both step increases.

The department is upgrading its software because the current iteration requires a restart every 30 days to reboot because it is still a disk-operating system, Tax Collector Melissa Davis said.

The upgrade is going to cost a one-time fee of $5,000 in addition to the annual fee of $8,400. That's up from $7,600, but it will be the first increase this line item in nine years.

"I think the increase is a fair ask, since it's going to be more of the technologies standards, I guess it is what it is. It is frustrating so it's definitely something that I need to do," Davis said.

The postage budget is level-funded from last year at $19,636. This year, the clerk was able to get the state to reimburse the town for the early voting ballots that went out so she is confident that the line item in the amount of $16,500 will be enough for FY24.

The Maturing Debt and Interest Debt Excluded line item is in the amount of $70,000. This covers the town's current loans, including principal and interest.

Interest on the Dalton Division Road engineering is in the amount of $14,000, projected on borrowing this June. Fuss and O'Neill projected that the engineering would incur about $473,000 by the end of June.

It was recommended stabilization funds be used first which would a balance of about $280,000 that would need to be borrowed. This was estimated at $56,000 a year at 5 percent interest.

Sewer and drains debt is at $65,653. This covers current loans; borrowing for the Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Survey is expected to occur in June.

Another $130,090 is for current loans and interest and what is expected to be borrowing for Town Hall renovation.

Tags: Dalton_budget, fiscal 2024,

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Pittsfield Considers Repairing East Part Cemetery

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:57AM / Friday, October 02, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Historical Commission will consider grant opportunities for repairs to East Part Cemetery.

A resident reached out to the city with concerns about degradation in the half-acre burial ground at the top of Williams Street. East Part Cemetery was established in the early 1800s and has about 300 interments.

“It's a nice old cemetery, and basically, (the resident) had had concerns that the stone wall had taken some damage, the gravestones have taken some damage, and was wondering if there's anything that could be done to repair the gravestones and the wall," City Planner Kevin Rayner told the commission on Monday.

In cooperation with cemetery leadership and residents, the Historical Commission will consider applying for Community Preservation Act funds to support repairs. West Part Cemetery, on the other side of Pittsfield, has previously used CPA funds for revitalization work.

The 1080 Williams St. property is owned by the city and managed by the Pittsfield Cemetery Commission. Rayner presented photos of broken and overgrown gravestones, parts of the stone wall collapsing, and knocked-over obelisks.

Some aspects could use general maintenance and restoration, he observed.

According to the Pittsfield Cemetery and Crematory's website, East Part Cemetery was established around 1808 on land owned by Nathan Webb, who permitted and authorized its use as a public burying ground.

In 1842, Nathan Webb's son, also named Nathan Webb, deeded the property to the Methodist Episcopal Society of Pittsfield as a public burying ground, and in 1893 the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Society transferred their control of the cemetery to the Proprietors of the Pittsfield Cemetery. Their action was confirmed by the Berkshire Probate Court.