Lanesborough Prepares Free Cash Articles for Town Meeting
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board last week discussed the key points of the fiscal 2027 budget that will be voted on at the annual town meeting.
Town Administrator Gina Dario gave a presentation to remind residents where they are at in the process and what the budget is expected to look like currently.
The proposed spending plan has an increase of a little over 10 percent. Some of the main budget increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Another notable increase was in the life and health insurance department showing an increase of about 26 percent.
The ambulance department is also requesting an increase in its budget to provide 24-hour service for the town with the overall budget for EMS and Ambulance department increasing around $217,000.
The Police Department and Department of Public Works lines formerly covered by the Baker Hill Road District have been consolidated into their regular operating budgets. But road district is expected provide one half the cost of a police cruiser, $40,000, and put $50,000 toward a new fire truck estimated to cost $871,000. The town has not yet received those funds.
The DPW is also looking for a new dump truck that would be $330,000 but the town was able to move that payment of a little over $50,000 into the free cash warrant articles.
"We've had to make adjustments on the potential dissolution of the Baker Hill Road District ... with that assumption, we have consolidated the police and DPW departments that had previously been supported through funding with Baker Hill Road District," Dario said. "Additionally, Baker Hill Road District has contracts with the town for support public safety vehicles, fire trucks, and we've looked at pulling those out, those gaps, out of our operating operating budget, and pulled them also into free cash, so that the impact isn't on the net tax rate.
"Again, if the project with the mall owners goes forward with a potential developer, there is an amount of money that would be put in escrow funds, those would not be accessed by the town until that legislation is [approved] by the Attorney General."
Dareio said the town should be receiving escrow funds from Berkshire Mall owners JMJ of around $1 million in exchange for dissolving the district. The district had been created to oversee Connector Road maintenance and emergency services for the former Berkshire Mall, which closed in 2019. The new owners have been in dispute with the district over payments they say are no longer reasonable.
The Council on Aging budget was able to be reduced as well as the DPW director salary.
Dario mentioned they were able to remove the McCann capital expense [for the school renovation] and the DPW dump truck payments to the free cash warrant articles along with several small increases in other departments.
The free cash Articles 6 to 17 to be proposed at the June 9 annual town meeting are as follows:
- Prior Year invoice: $941.27
- Transfer to Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB): $50,000
- Transfer to stabilization: $50,000
- Transfer to capital stabilization: $20,000
- McCann Tech roof and window replacement capital expense: $16,298.48
- Replace fire truck engine: $200,000
- Replace highway storage shed roof: $42,000
- 2025 International dump truck annual payment: $49,524.43
- Replace DPW 2015 International dump truck: $53,274.85
- Replace police vehicle: $80,000
- Assessors WebPro online property search: $3,200
- Reduce FY2027 tax rate: $200,000
The current free cash balance is $1,367,239, if the above articles are approved that would leave $601,999.97.
The annual town meeting is Tuesday, June 9, at Lanesborough Elementary School at 6 p.m. The election will take place June 16 at Town Hall with polls open noon until 8 p.m.
Tags: fiscal 2027, lanesborough_budget,
