Great Barrington — At the Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, January 27, Chair Richard Geiler announced that he would be stepping down from his seat on the committee after the annual town elections in May.
Geiler was last elected in November 2024, and his term is set to expire next year. He became the chair of the Finance Committee immediately after its previous chair, Philip Orenstein, was elected to the Selectboard in May 2025.
“I’ve discussed this with all of you a little bit, but the reasons are personal, and I’m not going to go into the reasons,” Geiler said at the January 27 meeting, which was held virtually via Zoom. “But I wanted you all to know what an incredible experience this is and continues to be for me. I thank you all for being the people that you are and for making these pleasant and substantive meetings. We work well together. This is not an easy decision I made, and there are other reasons behind it.”
“I just wanted to say that I really appreciate all the work that you have done,” Committee member Milena Cerna told Geiler. “I think you were a great person to lead the committee, and I think we reached some really good milestones. I know it was a lot of work for you and that you are also on the Community Preservation Committee; I also know that this involves a lot of meetings and a lot of work. We are very much appreciative of all you have done, and if you change your mind, we would be very happy.”
Two other members of the committee announced that they would not be seeking reelection at the town’s annual election in May: Michelle Loubert and Anne O’Dwyer. Member Michelle Loubert, whose term expires in May, was previously appointed to the committee in August by the Selectboard to fill a vacant seat created by Orenstein’s election to the board. Anne O’Dwyer has served on the committee for over nine years.
Geiler said that registration forms for candidacy in the annual town elections can be taken out from the Town Clerk’s office starting on Wednesday, February 11. “They only have a month or so to return the forms,” Geiler said. “It’s best for other people to be thinking about having this experience and serving the town. And it is an experience.”
In other business, Town Manager Liz Hartsgrove updated the Finance Committee on the current status of formulating the town’s budget for fiscal 2027.
Hartsgrove said she met with all of the leaders of the town’s municipal departments to discuss capital requests and a five-year capital improvement plan but added, “It’s still a work in progress.”
According to Hartsgrove, department leaders submitted 35 capital requests for fiscal 2027. “[The meeting] was a very collaborative effort, and it was one of those moments where it was wonderful to see that everybody was considered equals in the room,” she said. “Regardless if you were submitting $30,000 for one application versus the significant amount of requests from DPW [Department of Public Works]—everybody was treated equally in their presentations, and it was a very thorough analysis done by all the various department heads.”
Hartsgrove said she will present a report on the status of this fiscal year and a forecast of finances for fiscal 2027 during a joint Selectboard and Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 3.
According to the town’s budget schedule, Town Manager Hartsgrove will submit a proposed fiscal 2027 budget on Friday, February 13.
The first round of budget presentations with town department leaders, the Selectboard, and the Finance Committee will be held Tuesday, February 24, and Wednesday, February 25.
The second round of budget presentations will be held on Tuesday, March 3, and Wednesday, March 4.
