DALTON, Mass. — Voters approved all but one of the 22 articles on the warrant at the annual town meeting on Monday night at Wahconah Regional High School.

 

More than one hundred registered voters attended the meeting, which lasted more than three hours, to vote on the budget, school district regional agreement, a proposed bylaw change, and various spending items for town equipment, repairs, projects, and initiatives.

 

The town budget of $22,951,092 is an increase of $1,449,376, or approximately 6.74 percent, over this year. Of that, the Central Berkshire Regional School District assessment of $10,537,044 and the town operating budget of $10,147,991 are included. 

 

Article 1, which proposed amending the town bylaw to make concrete sidewalks the standard, was tabled after a 20-minute discussion that included questions and concerns about its language. More on sidewalks here.

 

This has recently been a hot topic, making its way through town government boards and committees will continue with a Planning Board public hearing.  

 

Planning Board member Zack McCain motioned to table the article until a public hearing, where the details could be discussed further. He said this is common practice for bylaw amendments. 

 

During the discussion, voters also urged the need for sidewalks on Orchard Road. The Department of Public Works budget only has $12,000 to cover the cost of maintaining town sidewalks. 

 

The current design of the road renovation does not include the installation of sidewalks, as it is not feasible. 

 

The town was approved for a $1 million MassWorks grant, but the cost of completing the project is unclear, and addressing the street's drainage problem may utilize most, if not all, of these funds, Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said. More on the Orchard Road project here.

 

It is possible to fund sidewalks out of state Chapter 90 road funds, but the town does not know what the final bid for Orchard Road will be and what the town wants to spend the remaining Chapter 90 funds on, he said. 

 

"Maybe we want to spend it on the sidewalks, maybe there's a road that is in more desperate need of repair. We are asking engineers to engineer a sidewalk for Orchard Road," Hutcheson said. 

 

When the bids come back the town will ask for alternate designs for sidewalks including the asphalt and concrete. 

 

After hearing residents' concerns about sidewalks, Select Board Chair Jospeh Diver moved to add an additional $50,000 to the Department of Public Works budget, roadway materials line item, but voters shot this down. 

 

Traffic Commission Chair William Drosehn said the commission is currently working on finalizing a list of sidewalks that need to be prioritized for repairs

 

Voters approved Article 11 requesting that the town transfer $70,000 from Sewer Stabilization to pay the city of Pittsfield for additional sewer treatment costs 

 

They also approved transferring $302,077 from Capital Stabilization for various purchases, including a new cruiser for the Police Department and the Department of Public Works: a one-ton Ford 550 truck and sidewalk and road paver. 

 

One voter questioned why the police needed another cruiser when there is already six. 

 

"We currently have three people in patrol per night, plus the canine cruisers, so we have four active patrols. We have one spare cruiser. The next cruiser, we will trade one of the very oldest and worst running," Police Chief Deana Strout said.

 

"The other cars are for training, details, or going to court and things like that, or if something happens to one of our main cars, we have to have the extra." 

 

The Ford 550 is multi-purpose and replaces the department's current truck, which is consistently used for various reasons, including plowing, DPW Superintendent Edward "Bud" Hall said. 

 

The purchase of a sidewalk and road paver prompted the sidewalk discussion leading to Article 1, which would have amended the town bylaw to make concrete sidewalks the standard. 

 

The department would use this item a lot and allow the department to do a better job patching potholes in roads to ensure they are more level, Hall said. 

 

Voter Thomas King asked if approving this item would be "jumping the gun" as it would not be utilized if the sidewalk amendment is approved in the future. 

 

Some voters asked if it is feasible to rent one for $7,000 until the sidewalk amendment is brought back to town meeting after the Planning Board's public hearing. 

 

Voter Jimbo Doucette argued that obtaining a paver to rent during the busy season would be difficult due to the high demand. 

 

There is no timeline for the time it will take the Planning Board to discuss and develop a sidewalk amendment, Diver said. 

 

As of April 2, the capital stabilization account had approximately $1,047,683. A healthy capital stabilization for the town of Dalton should generally be above a million. Finance Committee member William Drosehn said. The account is essentially a rainy-day fund in case of emergencies.

 

The town approved transferring $600,000 from free cash to the following stabilization accounts: $250,000 for capital stabilization, $250,000 for sewer stabilization, and $100,000 for general stabilization. 

 

Voters approved rescinding the unutilized balance of several prior years' borrowing authorizations for various projects amounting to $192,406. 

 

"We are rescinding the authorization to borrow the funds that are not ever going to be borrowed because the expenses have already been paid, the projects are closed, and it's the expenditure that got borrowed," Town Accountant Sandra Albano said. 

 

"When it went to town meeting, it was not known at the time how much we were going to spent. This is simply bookkeeping, cleaning up the books so that the authorizations will go away and that will become our credit rating."

 

The approval of this will improve the town's financial position and credit rating. 

 

Voters approved establishing an Opioid Settlement Special Revenue Fund and transferring $5,440,28 from free cash and any additional funds received or to be received from the settlements from the town's participation in the national Opioid Multi-District Litigation. 

 

"A while back, a bunch of companies were found to have contributed to the opioid substance abuse crisis in the country. They were held legally accountable, and they settled for big pots of money," Hutcheson said. 

 

"...That money is now trickling down to cities and towns across the country. We get a share of that. It's a couple of $1,000 a year, more or less, we will get it for 15 years."

 

A committee will be established to help decide the best way to utilize the funds. The committee would comprise community members who have worked with the community harmed by the epidemic, including Health Agent Agnes Witkowski, Strout, and any other residents interested in participating. 

 

Voters approved an amended version of Article 19, which transfers $515,023 from free cash for various projects, equipment, and initiatives. Prior to the amendment, the article was to transfer $495,023. 

 

Diver motioned to amend the article to include $20,000 for a condemned housing fund. The Select Board discussed developing this fund in March after the great need for it was brought to their attention during an October meeting.

 

The fund is early in development and proposes establishing a program that aids residents facing condemnation. 

 

"I oppose this amendment. In particular the term 'seed money.' Through my years here in Dalton, I have seen seed money grow and grow and grow. So what is the limit, is a top end of this, I don't see that happening," voter Joe Albano said. 

 

"I don't think that the townspeople should be responsible for other people's irresponsibilities in letting their homes go to waste. And see this as further down the roads being added to our taxes because essentially, because, like I said, more and more and more."

 

Multiple voters supported the idea of a fund like this but were concerned that the policy and guidelines had not been fully developed and that it was unclear what the cost of an initiative would be to work successfully. 

 

Although the mechanics have not been worked out, the town would have to wait a year before having a program like this because it would have to wait until the next town meeting. The Select Board will work to develop these policies before the money is spent, Diver said. 

 

"We need that money very, very much because we have a lot of issues here people don't understand," voter and Dalton Senior Center's outreach coordinator Pattie Pero said.

 

Voter Sarah Fontaine, director of the Adams Senior Center, said she has noticed that this is a huge problem, especially among seniors in the Berkshires. 

 

"I'm thinking the seed money would be a great start for, then the Select Board members or members of different town departments to look into other grant funding that could then supplement any seed money and then keep it going for many years beyond this initial $20,000 seed money," Fontaine said.

 

Voter David Wasielewski asked if the town looked into other grants and programs in the Berkshires that the town can refer people to before establishing a fund of its own. Berkshire Community Action Council, for example, has programs like this. 

 

"Last year, I actually had a meeting with Berkshire Community Action Council, and they are looking to towns to help supplement their funds because they are so limited," Fontaine said.

 

The remaining articles were approved with little to no discussion.