If the town meeting is not able to pass a budget by the end of the fiscal year on June 30, the town of Great Barrington, like hundreds of other small municipalities in the state with a town-meeting form of government, has a problem.
It is not clear precisely when the home-rule petition hearing will begin. There are 10 hearings starting at 1 p.m. and the Great Barrington hearing is seventh on the list for that afternoon.
Senate Bill 101 provides that horse racing licenses in locations that previously were granted commercial racing licenses would need no further approval from the municipality. In Great Barrington, that would mean neither the selectboard nor the citizens would ever have a vote.
Please help oppose horse racing returning to Great Barrington, Massachusetts. There is going to be a town meeting held on Wednesday, December 11 on this issue.
Do Great Barrington residents want an old expired and abandoned license granted by a state agency 20 years ago to dictate whether commercial horse racing comes to their town?
Leigh Davis openly questioned why her fellow board members wanted to revise certain policies and whether they were a response to actions she has taken since her election to the board in May.
In a letter to the editor, Steve Farina writes "The essence of this petition is to ensure that all registered voters have the opportunity to share on any issue brought before the meeting attendees without being shut out by parliamentary procedure."
Selectboard Chairman Steve Bannon said he could not support enforcement of the bylaw until there is an implementation and funding plan for the series of water stations that are planned to help consumers refill the reusable bottles.
2018 has provided enough Great Barrington news to keep journalists busy and observers of town politics highly amused, signaling that the community dubbed "best small town in America"Â by Smithsonian Magazine continues to be a place in transition.
"The voters sent a strong message to the Town of Lenox that there needs to be balance, fairness and transparency among those who are entrusted to represent taxpayers and residents."
-- Lenox architect Jim Harwood
In her letter Carol Diehl writes: "The petition to repeal the single-serve plastic water bottle ban might never even have come up if the proponents of the ban had, from the beginning, presented it in a way that related it specifically to the needs of Great Barrington."
The divide between the natives and those from outside the area is as wide as it's ever been. Don't take my word for it or judge based only on Monday night's meeting. As of Tuesday afternoon the Great Barrington Community Board Facebook page contained more than 500 comments.
The move to repeal the water bottle ban was so controversial that the special town meeting attracted upwards of 100 more residents than had attended the Annual Town Meeting on May 7.
In his letter Ed Abrahams writes: "Rather than vote yes or no on Monday night, let's extend the deadline of the ban far enough out to solve some of the problems it will create."
