WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — A busy week for the town's Fire Department gets underway on Tuesday evening.

 

The annual Fire District elections and district meeting are scheduled for that night in the Williamstown Elementary School gymnasium.

 

The week will wrap up with a dedication and open house at the district's new fire station on Main Street.

 

Polls for the election are scheduled to open at 4 p.m. and will be closed at 7 to allow for returns to be counted prior to the start of the annual meeting at 7:30.

 

There are two positions on the ballot this spring: a three-year term on the Prudential Committee and a three-year term for moderator.

 

Incumbent Moderator Paul Harsch is the only person running for his position. Michael Noyes is the lone candidate for the Prudential Committee seat currently held by longtime member John Notsley.

 

The Prudential Committee, analogous to the Select Board at town hall, manages the fire service and supervises its one full-time employee, the fire chief.

 

As the fire district is a separate taxing authority apart from town government, its annual budget is approved each spring at an annual meeting — a smaller and much shorter process similar to the town meeting conducted at WES on Tuesday, May 19.

 

This year's operating budget is up by about 9 percent from the one approved by district meeting members in May 2025 for the current fiscal year. But the property tax rate for the district is expected to drop, from $1.24 per $1,000 in valuation in FY26 to $1.15 for FY27, because of the district's use of a $5.5 million in gifts from Williams College and the Clark Art Institute to lower the cost of borrowing for construction to taxpayers in the coming fiscal year.

 

Taxpayers will have a chance to check out the new station on Saturday afternoon, May 30, when the district will host a ribbon-cutting, dedication and open house from noon to 2 p.m.

 

Guided tours and refreshments are planned for the event at 580 Main St. (Route 2).