Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Great Barrington Annual Town Meeting convened at 2:00 PM on May 2, 2026, at Monument Mountain Regional High School under Moderator Michael Wise. Over the course of more than four hours, voters approved articles including the town's operating budget, an accounting transfer for marijuana host-community fee refunds, and numerous other appropriations, many contingent on the outcome of a Proposition 2.5 override election scheduled for May 12. The meeting adjourned before completing all warrant items and will reconvene on Monday evening, May 4, at 6:00 PM.
Good afternoon. A quorum of 100 voters is present. This annual town meeting is called to order at 2 o'clock. This meeting has been called pursuant to warrant dated April 21st, 2026, duly served and returned. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States. Liberty Justice or this annual town meeting. My name is Michael Wise. I'm Great Barrington's elected moderator. A particular welcome for any for whom this is your first town meeting. The town meeting is the legislative assembly. We're here to discuss and decide about appropriating the town's money and about town laws and regulations. These items are on the warrant because in this Commonwealth, by law, these decisions must be made by the voters themselves. For this year, commemorating the American Revolution. I have a bit of history. My fellow moderators around the state were all doing this shtick, so bear with me. Great Barrington started holding its town meetings before we had a country. The chief cause of the revolution that created the United States was our demand to govern ourselves. In the Declaration of Independence, most of the grievances listed against Britain are about interference with our government, with our courts or legislators with meetings like this. We told Britain we could do it ourselves. In 1771, the warrant for Great Barrington's town meeting had been issued in his Majesty's name. But in March 1776, the town meeting was called by the selectmen on their own authority. The first item on the agenda after electing the officers was to choose a committee of correspondence agreeable to the late resolve of the Great and General Court. Well, the Great and General Court was, of course, in Boston, the Massachusetts legislature, and as we learned in school history classes, these local committees of correspondence coordinated the revolutionary effort. The date on this 1776 warrant, which is in town hall, is just exuberantly revolutionary. It says it was issued this 18th day of March in the third month of the third American Congress, which is to say 1776. So housekeeping items, fire regulations prohibit standing or sitting in the corridors, aisles or exits. Please take note of the emergency exits. The meeting is being recorded by CTSB, and will we'll be available for viewing later. Please turn off your cell phones. Let me introduce the people on stage. I don't have them in the quite right order, so I'll try to get them in the right order.