Adam Hinds, Rinaldo Del Gallo and Andrea Harrington answered questions about Berkshire County’s big issues: economic development, school transportation funding, population decline, the opioid epidemic, affordable housing, a deficiency of high speed Internet, and environmental issues like pipelines and the Housatonic River cleanup.
The permit split raised concerns that the 45 housing units would sit alone up against the wastewater treatment plant, with 6 acres of toxic soil either left there or remediated in phases.
While Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire (CDC) has presented its plan for 45 units of affordable housing to several boards, the Zoning Board of Appeals is the one that has to decide whether to issue CDC its comprehensive permit.
“It is my observation that it’s too bad that [the affordable housing] is wedged between a sewer waste plant and a toxic waste field.”
--- ZBA member Michael Wise
“The issue tonight is how are we gonna raise that [$14.5 million].” If voters said no, the Selectboard would have to “come up with that $14.5 million and they’d have to find it somewhere.”
-- Richard Coons, former Berkshire Hills School Committee member
At the last discussion, in which some parties were demonstrably rancorous, it became clear that changing an agreement that has each town paying for schools based on the number of students it sends was not going to be easy.
“The reality is all this is an opportunity to request and shift tax burden from Great Barrington to the other two towns...and if that’s what’s its about, and if facts are what they are....it’s never gonna fly... I don’t see how we can change the rules. It would be cheaper for Stockbridge to get out [of the district].”
-- Fred Rutberg of Stockbridge
Selectboard Chairman Sean Stanton wondered if the town should vote down the school budget, as a “statement,” to “stoke the fire a bit,” because education “feels a little bit inequitable in the way it’s funded.”
“This young man here [Fire Chief Charlie Burger] works 90 hours a week. We’re burning him out. I asked for it for years. It’s very much needed.”
-- Former Fire Chief Harry Jennings
Depending on what happens this week with the school budget, to be voted on this Thursday (March 3), the property tax rate could go up from the current rate of $14.29 per thousand to $15.15, a 6 percent hike.
“It’s not right for Great Barrington, and at least for the immediate future we don’t need to continue the conversation.”
-- Great Barrington Selectboard Chair Sean Stanton
“It’s like using a machete to perform brain surgery. declared , to raucous laughter and applause. There’s no chance of meeting your objective, and it’s likely you’ll kill the patient.”
-- Alford Road resident Chip Elitzer
A residential exemption would tax people progressively more or less based on the assessed value of their home. The more your home is valued, the more you pay, just like the income tax.
"Eighty-three percent of all parcels in Great Barrington would benefit or be neutral [under the residential exemption]. If you include second homes, that changes to 74 percent.”
--- Finance Committee Chairman Michael Wise
Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin will hold a “informational workshop” at Town Hall next Monday (July 27) at 4 p.m. to explain the basics of property taxes and Massachusetts General Law
If we could cut the tax bills for 80 percent of the homeowners living in Great Barrington, and cut them by 20 percent for most of Housatonic village, yet we decide not to do it, then we should be able to give those people a good explanation of the costs that compelled that decision.
