Adams Board OKs 3 of 4 Special Town Meeting Warrant Articles
ADAMS, Mass. — The Select Board moved forward the three financial articles of the proposed four warrant articles for the special town meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 6 p.m. at the Memorial Building.
The Finance Committee also voted at its meeting to recommend the three financial articles on the warrant.
During the Sept. 9 meeting, Town Administrator Nicholas Caccamo reminded attendees that prior to the annual town meeting in June, there were several unknowns when the fiscal 2027 budget was being developed.
Now most of those uncertainties have been resolved, it is time to update the budget through a special town meeting.
This is taking place before the tax rate is set, allowing the town sufficient time to prepare the tax bills for mailing in early November, with payments due in late November.
Article 1 is characterized as a "housekeeping" item that authorizes the resending of an unissued loan from Tophet Brook project, authorized at the annual town meeting in 2010.
At that town meeting, town meeting members authorized a loan for $565,000 for Storm Water Improvements; $215,000 will be rescinded at the upcoming special town meeting.
The town has never paid any interest on the $215,000 and its recension makes the town's tax recap "look better," Caccamo said.
Article 2 amends the omnibus budget from the June town meeting by adjusting the personnel salary and benefits lines for several positions that have since been filled. Additionally, it includes the projected figures most likely to come out of the union negotiations that are still ongoing for the Police Department and clerical.
The changes amount to about $75,000 more than what was originally budgeted, Caccamo said.
The figures are as follows:
- Accountant: $174,205, a decrease from the initial budget of $185,464.
- Assessor: $173,489, an increase from $170,992.
- Treasurer/Collector: $187,418, an increase from $183,875.
- Town Clerk: $187,418, an increase from $183,875.
- Community Development: $175,124, a decrease from $175,611.
- Inspection Services: $266,441, an increase from $266,099.
- Police Department: $2,333,839, an increase from $2,263,811.
Article 3 is requesting a special tax assessment agreement for Dream Green Recycling.
During a meeting in July, the board spoke favorably about this seven-year amendment to the company's property taxes while it undergoes expansion, giving it 100 percent exemption in the first two years and then decreasing over time. More information here.
However, on Wednesday, the item received the most apprehension from some audience members.
Dream Green Recycling owners intend to renovate and upgrade its facility at 15 Printworks Drive, with an estimated capital investment of approximately $1.2 million to $1.8 million and add 12 jobs.
The company hopes to expand its Adams building and consolidate its Pittsfield operations there.
The capital investment includes the acquisition of the facility and expansion of recycling services including mattresses, electronic waste, metals, appliances, and a longer-term goal of adding solar panel recycling.
The current assessed valuation of the site is $741,000, resulting in $15,938.91 in annual property taxes.
If approved, the incremental tax assessment agreement would provide Dream Green Recycling with a temporary exemption from new real estate taxes during its expansion under the following schedule:
Fiscal 2027 & 28: 100 percent; Fiscal 2029 & 30: 75 percent; Fiscal 2031: 50 percent; and Fiscal 2032 & 33: 25 percent
This expansion will provide an economic benefit to the town with not only the retention of its four full-time permanent jobs in town but also the creation of 12 new full-time permanent positions, the owners said.
Select Board member Kelly Rice motioned to amend the agreement to change Fiscal 2032 to 25 percent from 50 because that was what was done historically.
"If I'm just giving my two cents, that feels like a small change in the context of a larger consideration," Caccamo said, but Rice's proposal for the change passed.
He also said the owners of Dream Green Recycling will be at the town meeting to answer any questions members may have.
Some audience members expressed concern with the assessment and some of the services the recycling center is doing at the Adams, citing its recent work reselling items, including various appliances.
The company has roll-off containers on the property that are collected by trucks which increases the chance of a hydraulic leak, diesel leak, or leachate coming out of the roll offs, resident Scott Cernik said.
Additionally, the location in Adams is in an industrial zone so a few attendees question whether its current resale and house-cleanout operations violate zoning laws, the site plan, and permits.
In a follow-up with iBerkshires, Caccamo said that if residents have concerns surrounding zoning violations, a complaint should be filed with the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Caccamo initially presented the board with four proposed warrant articles. However, Article 4, which sought to change the treasurer/collector position from an elected to an appointed position, failed on a 2-1 vote.
Board members Ann Bartlett and Kelly Rice, former treasurer, voted against moving the article forward to town meeting, while Jay Meczywor voted in favor; Joseph Nowak was absent.
Meczywor requested that the item be added to the warrant, saying he believed the timing was appropriate following Rice's retirement and in preparation for the upcoming election for the position.
Changing the position to appointed from elected would require multiple steps including, amending the towns "Special Acts," and placing the item on a local election ballot.
Rice opposed placing the item on the warrant, noting that the proposal had received little prior discussion and emphasizing the need for additional community input before presenting it to town meeting members for a vote. The proposal was discussed in March 2026.
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