Great Barrington Finance Committee Meeting - November 18, 2025

The Town of Great Barrington Finance Committee met on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. All five members were present: Chair Rich Guiler, Anne, Michelle, Milena, and Madonna. Town Administrator Liz Hearts Grove and Finance staff Allie also attended. The meeting focused on resolving a procedural issue regarding budget bond language, reviewing October budget reports with concerns about several line items, discussing school finance subcommittee findings, and planning future meetings.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Sharon, President of the Great Barrington Library Fund (GBLF): Expressed strong support for a Community Preservation Act (CPA) grant of $1.5 million for the Ramsdale Library renovation. She stated that the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) is expected to provide 55% of funding, leaving the town responsible for 45%. She noted the library design has been endorsed and a public review is planned for December. She requested the Finance Committee’s endorsement and asked the committee to support a multi-year CPA bond, citing precedents (memorial baseball field with $500,000 multi-year CPA grant, and Lenox library purchase). She emphasized that a capital campaign cannot launch without the town’s commitment and that CPA funds do not raise taxes.

Discussion Items

• Budget Policy and Bond Language (FY27 Guidelines): The committee discussed a previous misunderstanding: the Select Board had voted on November 3rd to approve the overall budget policy for FY27 but removed a third bullet about debt exclusion. Several members, including Michelle and Milena, argued the committee and Select Board must jointly approve the final language. Chair Rich Guiler apologized for the procedural error and said the committee needed to decide whether to accept the Board’s version or hold a joint meeting to negotiate. After debate, the consensus was to pursue a joint meeting with the Select Board on December 15th (all members available that date) to finalize the language for FY27, rather than delay to FY28. No formal vote was taken but all agreed.
• Review of October Budget Reports (Prepared by Allie): Milena led a deep dive into several line items:
  • Legal Fees: Concerns about reaching the budgeted amount with 6 months remaining; Liz confirmed she is conducting a department-head review after Thanksgiving.
  • Assessor Budget – Contracted Services (line 2): $17,000 over (50% over budget) due to a Munis system bridge for personal property billing; $14,000 encumbered and contingency funds planned.
  • Collector/Treasurer – Tax Title Litigation (line 0146): $2,200 encumbered; Allie said it covers land court attorney fees for foreclosure after delinquency.
  • Public Buildings – Electricity and Gas/Oil: Milena questioned whether the encumbrances reflect real expenses or blanket orders; Allie explained that blanket POs are common for utility expenses.
  • DPW Highway (page 7): Several highlighted lines, including street lights $40,000 over; Milena requested detailed explanations from DPW head Joe.
  • Debt Service (page 10): Short-term interest not yet processed; will appear in November bonding. Debt issuance cost of $15,000 is expected to be sufficient, with residual bond premiums available.
  • Insurance – Allocation from Wastewater (page 11): Allie explained that the negative number reflects journal entries twice a year (December and June) to transfer enterprise fund charges for indirect costs; the transfer zeroes out the line.
• School Finance Subcommittee Discussion: Michelle and Rich reported on the third subcommittee meeting attended by both.
  • Monument Mountain High School: Michelle expressed strong concern that the school uses a Bar Foundation grant for stipends and expects taxpayers to pick up costs when the grant ends. She called this “rants 101” and urged the district to avoid default to taxpayers. Rich added that the subcommittee pushed back against including these stipends in the base budget.
  • Monument Mountain: Noted the school does not expect to return to pre-cut funding levels.
  • Elementary School (Mud Brook): More than 50% of students perform below grade level; the school is seeking $50,000 for a new curriculum (illustrative math) to improve scores. Michelle and Rich both noted the request was the only specific funding number mentioned.
  • The next subcommittee meeting is November 20th. Rich will distribute the principals’ narratives to the committee.
• Future Meeting Planning:
  • The committee scheduled a regular meeting on December 16th, for which Assessor Emily will present.
  • January meeting on the 20th.
  • Liz announced a comprehensive FY27 budget action calendar is being developed, incorporating all department steps, select board priorities, and community preservation committee timing. She noted the calendar will be fluid but will help coordinate the process.
  • Chair Rich asked about combining budget meetings with the Select Board in February; Liz said dates are placeholder and will be finalized after Select Board reviews their priorities.

Key Outcomes

• Decision: The committee agreed to hold a joint meeting with the Select Board on December 15, 2025, to finalize the budget policy bond language for FY27, rather than deferring to FY28 (all members confirmed availability).- Meeting Schedule: Regular meetings set for December 16 (with Assessor) and Januay 20. Minutes from the last two meetings will be reviewed in December.
• Next Steps: Liz will send the draft budget action calendar to Chair Rich for distribution; Allie will follow up on DPW detail and bond amount ($5.15 million long-term bond approved by Select Board in November); Milena’s questions on legal fees, tax title litigation, and DPW will be addressed after Liz’s department-head meetings.
• Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned by motion at approximately 8:00 p.m.