Williamstown Nomination Papers, Dog Licenses Available

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Nomination papers for elected offices in the Town of Williamstown are available in the Town Clerk's office as of Feb. 3, 2025. 
 
Offices on the May 13, 2025 Annual Town Election ballot will be 3 Select Board seats, 2 are three year terms, and 1 is one year remaining of a 3 year term, 1 three year Moderator seat, 5 Library Trustee seats, 4 are three year terms and 1 is one year remaining of a 3 year term, 1 Housing Authority seat, for a five year term, 1 Northern Berkshire Vocational Regional School District seat, a three year term and 1 Planning Board seat, for a five year term.
 
Candidates seeking to run for office must stop by Town Clerk, Nicole Beverly's Office to pick up nomination papers. Thirty (30) signatures are required. All signatures must be ink signatures, no electronic signatures are allowed.
 
Completed nomination papers must be returned to the Board of Registrars for certification no later than Tuesday, March 25, 2025. 
 
Questions regarding running for town office can be addressed by reaching out to the Town Clerk's Office at nbeverly@williamstownma.gov or 413-458-3500 Ext. 101.
 
Also, 2025 dog licenses are now available. The current fees are $5.00 for spayed/neutered dogs and $12.00 for all others. Dog licenses must be renewed by March 31, 2025.
 
Dog licenses can now be purchased online via the Town's website: https://williamstownma.viewpointcloud.com/ . Once on the page, scroll down to "Town Clerk Licenses." You may pay online or send in/drop off a check.
 
Regardless of how you would like to pay, you still should complete the licensing process online. Your dog tag(s) will be mailed to you once completed. You will need to create a login if you do not have one for Viewpoint.
 
There are detailed instructions on the website to help with learning the process https://williamstownma.gov/government/documents/.
 
Failure to renew your license will result in a late fee of $10.00.
 
It is a requirement that all dog owners must provide proof of a current rabies vaccination to obtain their dog license. You will be able to upload your rabies certificate directly to the online portal. If you don't have a scanner, taking a picture with your phone works too.
 
Residents who have questions regarding dog licenses should email or call the Town Clerk's office at nbeverly@williamstownma.gov or 458-3500 Ext. 101.

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Williamstown Planning Board Asks for Seasonal Communities Designation, Talks Tiny Homes

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board this month voted unanimously to recommend that the Select Board ask town meeting to accept the provisions of the provisions of the commonwealth's Seasonal Communities law.
 
If town meeting members agree at the May 19 annual town meeting, the town would have the ability to take steps to allow or create workforce housing, and it would give the town the ability to compete for grants to support year-round housing.
 
The tradeoff is that, under the terms of the Seasonal Communities program, Williamstown would need to enact zoning bylaws that allow the construction of residential housing on undersized lots, provided it is not used as a seasonal home or short-term rental "of less than six months." And the town would be required to enact zoning that permits so-called "tiny houses" of 400 square feet or less in floor area — again, only to be used as year-round housing.
 
The town would have two years to enact the zoning changes through subsequent town meetings while enjoying the benefits of the Seasonal Communities program from Day 1 if adopted at the May meeting.
 
The Legislature enacted the Seasonal Communities program to help communities address housing needs when those municipalities meet certain characteristics, including when "excessive disparities between the area median income and the income required to purchase the municipality's median home price," according to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (formerly the Department of Housing and Community Development).
 
The Seasonal Communities program initially was targeted at towns on Cape Cod, where the inaccessibility of workforce housing has been a concern for decades. More recently, the EOHLC has designated some towns in Berkshire County as eligible for the Seasonal Communities designation.
 
The Planning Board at its March 10 meeting voted 4-0 (with Cory Campbell absent) to recommend the Select Board agree at its Monday, March 23, meeting to put the Seasonal Communities question on the annual town meeting warrant.
 
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