The independent bookstore is known for offering an eclectic collection of new, used, rare, antiquarian, and out-of-print books, complemented by clever displays.
There is a town getting shorted in this deal ... All of those tax dollars flow into the Stockbridge coffers, but it is Lenox that provides all of the services a resident or business would expect from the local government.
In our family we know what we have and we try not to spend ourselves into debt. I hate to sound like one of them, but if Andrew figures out how to spend less, he’ll be a hero.
Second-home owners have no voting rights in Massachusetts, so their influence in state and local affairs is necessarily limited. They certainly are permitted to attend town meetings and, in most towns, are allowed to speak at the discretion of the moderator.
In their letter to the editor Joyce St. George and Susan Dey write: ‘The government is our enemy” was the insinuation we heard over and over again during the various Reclaim presentations and workshops we attended.
In his letter to the editor Jon Piasecki of West Stockbridge writes: "A Mighty 215 in Great Barrington are willing to impose their insistence on property tax reform at the expense of the children of our three communities. Too few G.B. residents care or dare to stop them.."
In a letter to the editor, Great Barrington resident Bobby Houston writes: “In the big picture, continuous tax increases harm the local economy. Surrounding towns all emerge as tax havens from GB.”
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.
In her letter to the editor, Sharon Gregory of Great Barrington writes: "We are now seeing a public relations campaign, exaggerating the proposal's benefits and attempting to intimidate people who oppose it."
“Taxes in our town are heavy, and during these years of general business depression, when trade is dull and many…laborers are but partially employed, [we cannot] bear with this excessive weight upon us.”
-- Statement by Great Barrington Advisory Committee in 1909, complaining about the rebuilding of Main Street
In her letter, Patricia Ryan states: "Many of us are frugal New Englanders trying to take care of ourselves as best we can. We repair our homes as needed. We make do."
“People are hurting and we need to do something about it, to make our principal source of revenue progressive."
-- Michael Wise, member of the Great Barrington Finance Committee
"Great Barrrington is the only community in Berkshire County with a large business center that does not employ a split tax rate."
--School Committee member Richard Dohoney
To address our tax burden directly and make living in Great Barrington more affordable, the town could adopt the “residential exemption,” which would reduce the tax bill substantially for those who most need relief.
