6 o'clock as we requorum.

Pursuant to MGL 7C 38 session 20th, after notifying the chair of a public body.

Any person may make a video or audio recording of an open session of a meeting of a public body who may transmit the meeting through any meeting.

Beginning of the meeting, the chair still informed attendees of any such reports.

This

meeting is re being reported by Birchar Edge, Adam Gray Barrington and CTSG.

Any member of the public wishing to speak at the meeting must receive permission of the chair.

The listing of agenda items for those reasonably anticipated by the chair, which may be discussed at the meeting, not all items listed, maybe back we discuss other items not listed, may be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law.

Thank

you.

Nothing here either.

Great.

Thank you.

Town Managers Report for March 2nd, 2026.

Earlier today, Senator Fallmark's office convened a regional meeting with local stakeholders to discuss proposed Berkshire Regional Transit Authority service changes and broader transit coordination efforts.

Representatives from municipalities, nonprofit organizations, and community partners participated, including myself, assistant town manager Chris Rembrandt, and transit program manager Tate Coleman on behalf of the town and Great Barrington.

The discussion focused on regional mobility needs, service accessibility, and community impacts associated with the proposed group adjustments.

Residents are reminded that public comment on the proposed BRTK route changes is being accepted through midnight tonight in advance of the public hearing meeting scheduled on Wednesday, March 4th.

Written comments may be submitted directly to info at Berkshire RTA.gov for consideration as part of the public review process.

The Great Barrington Affordable Housing Trust has released a request for proposal to support the creation, preservation, rehabilitation of affordable housing within the community.

The trust is inviting proposals from nonprofits and for-profit developers, property owners, and community partners for projects that advance local housing priorities, including rental and ownership opportunities serving households earning up to 100 of the meeting and area median income, with preferences given to projects that provide long-term affordable protections.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through June 30th, 2026, with submission deadlines on the first business day of each month for consideration at that month's trust meeting.

Funding is anticipated to be secure, sourced through community preservation act allocations and other local housing resources and proposals will be evaluated based on feasibility, readiness, financial structure, long-term affordability, and community impact.

The full RFP and application materials are available on the Affordable Housing Trust webpage, and interested applicants are encouraged to contact the trust for preliminary discussions prior to submission.

As part of the select board's adopted strategic priorities to evaluate tools that support housing stability and tax fair equity, the town continues to review of a potential residential tax exemption or RTE.

To clarify recent community discussion, adoption of an RTE does not, I repeat, does not require a town meeting vote under Massachusetts law.

Rather, it is a policy decision by the select board following analysis and public input during each annual tax rate hearing.

The town is currently in an information gathering phase, receiving public comments through the project webpage, soliciting feedback from local boards and committees, and consulting with Massachusetts communities that have already implemented an RTE to better understand administrative impacts, outcomes, and best practices.

Staff are also evaluating implementation considerations and operational requirements, which along with the data collection will be presented at the March 23rd Select Board meeting to inform to continue informed discussion.

The town of Great Barrington has been competitively awarded $600,000 through Mass DOT's FY25 Micro Transit and Last Mile Transit Grant Program to support the project and quote expanding South County Connectors capacity and strengthening first mile/slash last mile connectivity in Southern Berkshire County.

This funding will support the continued operation and maintenance of existing flexible on-demand transit services that improve mobility for residents across Southern Berkshire County by strengthening connections between neighborhoods, employment centers, health care providers, and essential community services.

The grant program was highly competitive with nearly 43 million dollars in requests submitted statewide and only 10 million dollars available for award.

That's pretty remarkable that we were awarded 600 and 600,000.

As part of the grant conditions, the town will coordinate with the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority regarding the long-term future of regional service delivery and will provide quarterly progress reporting to Mass DOT.

This award reflects ongoing regional collaboration to expand equitable and accessible transportation options for our residents.

With her first day on Wednesday, February 25th.

This position was created to strengthen administrative coordination and customer service across two high-demand service areas while promoting operational efficiency and collaboration between departments.

This is an existing position.

It was not a new position that was filled.

Jill will provide frontline administrative support to both teams, helping enhance service delivery for residents while supporting staff with daily operations.

Please join me in welcoming Jill to the town of Great Barrington and our team.

And lastly, the budget FY27 budget development process continues to advance with the operating budget workshops completed as of last week and the focus now shifting to capital planning.

The select board and finance committee will hold joint sessions tomorrow and Wednesday to review the town manager's recommended capital requests and discuss priorities within the five-year capital improvement program, including project timing, funding strategies, and long-term financial impacts.

Residents are encouraged to follow the process and review materials online.

The full FY27 budget book, along with the workshop slides and supporting documents, are available on the town's dedicated budget page within the town manager section of the website.

Thank you.

New business.

Do you have anything we want to add to that?

No, I had supplied a cover memo outlining the process with all of the backup material as well as the name that have been submitted.

It is up to the board as to whether you want to have a separate interview with these candidates or if you want to hold the appointment votes tonight.

And there are two we can appoint two tonight.

That's correct.

And there were two names.

Let's

just have a motion.

I'll second that.

Any discussion.

All

in favor?

Unanimous.