CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The annual town meeting will be presented a total budget for fiscal 2026 of $5,386,082, up $286,598 or 5.6 percent over this year. 

 

The town's operating budget at $1,862,872, up $94,217 or 5 percent, over this year. The assessment of $437,567 to McCann Technical School is up $74,348, based on enrollment, and the $3,085,643 Clarksburg School budget is up $118,233, or just under 4 percent.

 

A joint meeting of the School Committee, Select Board and Finance Committee endorsed the school budget on Wednesday. The Select Board and Finance Committee met again on Thursday for a final review of the town budget and annual warrant. 

 

Town meeting is Wednesday, May 28, at 6 p.m. in the Clarksburg School gymnasium. 

 

Town Administrator Ronald Boucher described it as a "very lean" budget that will be offset by $172,000 in free cash. Officials have been waiting for the state to certify the town's free cash, essentially unspent funds appropriated in last year's budget, but feel confident it will be about $230,000. 

 

"We're at a $172,000 deficit with the budget so we took $172,000 anticipated to offset the budget," Boucher said. "Then during town meeting, we should have it should be certified, you just have to amend the amount that we're going to send to the stabilization [account]."

 

He's hoping some additions to the 2026 spending plan will result in more revenue. It includes a full-time assessor at a cost of between $58,000 and $61,000; a part-time grant writer at $5,000; and a contract with the Berkshire Public Health Alliance, a collaborative through the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, at $8,500.

 

Select Board Chair Robert Norcross noted that free cash might be higher this year because a money budgeted for a fourth laborer in the Department of Public Works wasn't used. The Police Department also stopped operating with the chief going part-time to fill some administrative duties. 

 

"We can't count on this free cash every year. I just want to make sure people understand that that we were unable to find a fourth [DPW] person, and we have money in the budget for same thing. We might not be able to find a full-time assessor ... but we hope we do," he said. "We do feel that a full-time assessor and all these other increases with possibly a grant writer for $5,000, we're hoping that these people help pay for themselves, because there's a lot of revenue out there that we feel we're not getting because people aren't getting permits. 

 

"An assessor is supposed to ride around check on things and stuff. So we're hoping that more money will come in to counteract the increase that we're putting forward."

 

Finance Committee member Carla Fosser said she was "really happy to see that assessor full time."

 

The Berkshire Public Health Alliance will take over inspections for things like septic and water, and enforce health-related permitting and bylaws — including following violations into court. Officials are putting forward two amended bylaws on dogs and junk cars that will implement fines and firmer enforcement. This will give the animal control officer more authority and shift fees that used to go the inspectors to the town. 

 

"The town will start getting paid for inspections, wells, health, anything health," said Boucher. "The garbage and junk vehicles, they'll go out and they'll administer the fines, and they'll follow through, and if it has to go to court, they'll go to court to represent the town, so we'll be able to get some revenues out of that. We want to make people abide by the laws if they know somebody's out there enforcing it ... now they know nobody's out there pushing it."

 

Officials questioned the $2,500 in new growth with Select Board member Daniel Haskins, saying, "just off the top my head, I know there's been a couple new houses built. So I'm thinking like just the couple I could think of would be at least $10,000."

 

Assessor Emily Schilling confirmed the number will be a lot higher than $10,000.

 

"I don't have a solid number yet. That's what I'm working on, because the assessors really have till June 30 to come up with that new growth number," she said. "I can tell you right now, I've already put in one of the houses, and it's gonna give us $500,000 right there in new growth. ...

 

"You can't expect that every year, because Clarksburg hasn't seen these numbers in years, and probably three houses going up in one year is probably unheard of in Clarksburg. So the number for new growth this year will be really high."

 

The $2,500 was assessed on prior years and was underestimated so as not to go over, she said. Officials decided to roll forward with that number until the new values were calculated. 

 

Other aspects of the budget included increases in insurance and costs for supplies and materials, and cost of living raises as the town over the last years has pushed to make its wages more competitive. 

 

Boucher said former Town Administrator Carl McKinney had put a lot of work into the compensation plan and that he was completing it. 

 

Town meeting will also vote to authorize the borrowing of $500,000 toward a new roof on the school and to transfer $113,371 out of the stabilization account toward the roof to cover any unforeseen issues with the project. The Select Board accepted a bid from D.J. Wooliver & Sons of about $400,000 for the work, which cannot start until town meeting approves the expenditures. A special election will have to be held to exclude the borrowing from Proposition 2 1/2.