DALTON, Mass. — After a lengthy and contentious town meeting that spanned two days, voters will reconvene during a special town meeting to decide on six warrant articles this Monday at 7 p.m. at Wahconah Regional High School. 

 

During the annual town meeting on May 5, which garnered 277 registered voters, the police budget was singled out from the rest of the operating budget with an eye to making more cuts.

 

The Police Department requested a budget of $1,664,924, an increase of $129,668 over the previous fiscal year.

 

That line was pulled from the operating budget on a secret ballot and failed to pass 162-117. Finance Committee Chair William Drosehn made a motion to level fund the police budget, which also failed. 

 

Voters will decide on the budget again under Article one. During a Select Board meeting in May, the Police Chief Deanna Strout defended her department’s proposed budget and cautioned against significant cuts that, she says, would result in losing officers, K-9s, and community policing programs.

 

After her detailed presentation, the board voted to support the original police budget of $1,664,924 at the upcoming special town meeting. Select Board member Marc Strout, the chief's husband, was not present for that vote. 

 

The Finance Committee, however, voted on Tuesday to recommend a budget of $1,644,378, $20,546 less than what the Select Board voted to support. 

 

The decision narrowly passed 5-4, with committee members Drosehn, Thomas Irwin, Susan Carrol, and Shaun Beverly voting against. 

 

Carrol stated that she voted against the budget decrease because she wanted to hear from Strout first. Strout was unable to give a presentation to the committee because she was not informed of the meeting until 2:13 on the day of the meeting, and she was already scheduled to work the Taconic prom. 

 

Irwin, Drosehn, and Beverly voted against it because they believed that additional cuts could be made to the budget. 

 

Voters will also decide whether to transfer $45,000 from free cash to fund professional and technical work, including the possibility of a lawyer and an engineering company, to ensure the compliance of Berkshire Concrete Corporation’s special permit and town orders. More information here. 

 

For the last seven months, several dozen residents have been going to numerous meetings in town urging action to stop sand from leaving parcel No. 105-16, owned by Berkshire Concrete, a subsidiary of Petricca Industries.

 

During public outcry, it was discovered that a "clerical error" had omitted parcel No. 105-16 from the permit application, resulting in a cease and desist order to stop the dust from leaving the site. 

 

The residents organized a Clean Air Coalition to provide updates on what they described as slow progress towards a resolution. 

 

Several months passed, and residents still felt unheard by Petricca Industries and believed the board’s letters to their lawyers were performative and did not resolve the issue.

 

Since then, residents emphasized the need to "stop reacting and start acting." 

 

The conditions on the site improved, but a portion of the unauthorized dig site was not reclaimed because the coalition stated that Petricca and Alan LeBihan plan to apply for a special permit in June or July to continue excavating on lot 105-16, located at the back of Raymond Drive. 

 

The coalition also claimed that Petricca was "reluctant to have continuous dust pollution monitoring installed on the perimeter of Lot 105-16 and other key areas on the eastern edge of Berkshire Concrete's operation." 

 

Voters will also decide whether to amend Article 22 from the annual town meeting warrant, which appropriated from free cash $250,000 to purchase and equip a truck with sewer flushing equipment for the Department of Public Works. 

 

At the last town meeting, voters approved replacing the DPW’s sewer truck, which is a 1992 International that was an Army surplus. 

 

"We use it to tow the trailer, which is a 2007, which has, I think, a little over 3,000 hours on it," said Edward "Bud" Hall, DPW superintendent. However, not enough funds were allocated for the purchase. 

 

During the town meeting, Hall cautioned that the quotes for a truck and trailer were closer to $275,000, not $250,000; however, the town only approved $250,000. 

 

In a follow-up, Hall explained that the Finance Committee did not get input from him when the committee amended the article. 

 

Also included in the warrant is a request to reduce the amount allocated for the fiscal year 2026 operating budget by $90,500 due to lower amounts identified during the town audit and sewer treatment evaluation.

 

There is also a request to transfer $40,391 from free cash to cover a deficit in the “Snow and Ice” account. Of that amount, $23,461 is for salaries and $16,930 is for expenses.

 

Finally, there is a request to rescind the appropriation of $34,116 from the Sewer Stabilization Account to cover the City of Pittsfield's additional costs for sewage treatment.

 

Following the town meeting, it was determined that the town does not require this additional amount. The original budget is sufficient to cover the revised invoice from the City of Pittsfield, which has been reduced by $141,292.

 

The town meeting warrant is here, and the explanation sheet is here.