by Tommie Hutto-Blake
During an April civic engagement discussion at the Becket Arts Center, Kathe Warden, Town Administrator, and Robin Mathiesen, Town Clerk, had a full audience of residents discussing town leadership and the importance of citizens being fully engaged in the workings of our town. No better time to have this discussion than right before the two most important dates on the Becket town calendar.
Annual Town Meeting: On Saturday, May 11th in the Becket Washington School gymnasium at 2pm (note the new time slot), the Becket Annual Town Meeting (ATM) takes place. Residents will gather with town leadership (Becket Select Board, Becket Finance Committee, Town Administrator and Town Clerk) to plan Becket’s future. The most important document of the evening is the working agenda, referred to as the Town Meeting Warrant. Leadership will make brief presentations or answer questions regarding any warrant decision-making related to their area of responsibility. Becket residents may also have requested items to be considered during the ATM. The ATM Moderator will open the meeting by establishing the rules of the Commonwealth for running a town legislative body. Under these guidelines, Becket voters effectively become town legislators for a day, voting up or down all the items to be considered for the next fiscal year (FY 25). All residents are welcome to attend and may fully participate in the discussions during this meeting, but only Becket registered voters who hold a voting card (provided at check-in) may cast votes.
If you’ve never experienced a Becket ATM, come and participate in this important opportunity to direct town governance. Voters will be making decisions that directly impact Becket in the year ahead. The Becket FY 25 town budget will be carefully reviewed with questions taken and answered prior to a vote taken for each item, referred to as a warrant article. The proposed budget was prepared by the Town Administrator and reviewed by the Select Board and Finance Committee. Each warrant article is listed in numerical order, and following any discussion period, voted on or possibly postponed until a later date. A postcard will be mailed to all Becket taxpayers from Town Hall in advance of the meeting. The postcard provides links to the 2023 Annual Town Report and the 2024 Town Warrant to ensure voters have a chance to review warrant details before the meeting. Hard copies will also be available at the ATM. The deadline for a Becket resident to register to vote in order to cast votes this May is Friday, May 3rd. If you are not a registered Becket voter and have questions regarding your voting status, please call Town Clerk Robin Mathiesen at (413) 623-8934 Ext. 111.
Town Election: Becket voters have an opportunity to help select town leadership during the Annual Town Election on Saturday, May 18th at Town Hall. Polls will be open from 10am to 7pm. This year there are ten open positions on the ballot. Becket voters will be electing one Select Board member, two Finance Committee members, one Board of Health member, two Planning Board members, two Cemetery Commissioners, and two Town Constables. In all of these open positions the ballot will also include a line for “write-in” votes. Please consider participating in both the Annual Town Meeting and the Town Election. Your vote is your voice!
