Home / VOL. VII NO. 11 05/15/2026 / Notes from the Finance Committee (FC) April 23, 2026, Hybrid meeting

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Notes from the Finance Committee (FC) April 23, 2026, Hybrid meeting

Chair Jay Bikofsky and Steve Shatz clarified that their job was to review and recommend to the SB and Town Meeting for or against the twelve articles on the Warrant that are financial matters.

They then went through all the Warrant articles under their purview. The Chair announced that he was asked not to read each article.  (To follow along, Stockbridge Updates has attached  

the Warrant here. )  Holly please attach the same warrant here that we attached to Notes from the Select Board in last issue

Review and Recommendation of Articles

Article Three – staff salaries – recommended

Article Four – 4.7% increase in operating budget – recommended

Article Five – Berkshire Hills Regional School operating budget – recommended

Article Six – BHRS capital budget – without new school build – recommended

Article Seven – OPEP transfer – recommended

Article Nine – recommended all sections except for sections 18 and 19

                           18 and 19 in Article 9 are the SBAS request for $50,000 for operating and capital expenses

                           18 SBAS operating budget recommended for one year

                           19 – again strong disapproval by Steve Shatz of SBAS as “complete mismanagement” and he added that Stockbridge will not get value of money spent ($25,000) on ambulance because 

Stockbridge will be up and running before ambulance even delivered. Shatz concluded, “SBAS threw their request up against the wall to see what sticks.”  FC will make no recommendation until they

see what Great Barrington decides. Will know what GB does before Baby Town Meeting 

                             Article Ten – Sewer – recommended

                             Article Eleven – Water – recommended 

                             Article Twelve – CPC – recommended

                             Article Fourteen – Cemetery – recommended

Editor’s note: To discuss these items with the Finance Committee and to ask any questions – attend the Baby Town Meeting – May 11 6pm – Town Offices.  Each Article will be read and all questions and comments addressed in preparation for Town Meeting May 18

Photo by Lionel Delevingne

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