by Marcia Parnell
In what Town Moderator Ethan Klepetar called the “most complicated” town meeting he’d ever presided over, 113 Becket-registered voters passed the proposed $7.6 million FY25 operating budget at the Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, May 11th. With a smile Klepetar was then quick to explain that he was speaking about the complexity arising from the number of procedural and definitional questions raised around several articles (amendments and a motion to table) rather than any concerns around differing opinions and meeting civility.
First the budget: Town Administrator Kathe Warden spent much of the line-item budget review time on her feet explaining some large expense increases noted by participants. For the Town Treasurer Salary and Tax Title Expense increases of 16.7% and 83.3%, respectively, and totaling $35,000, she noted that there are more than 400 properties in town that either have liens placed or been taken by the Town for non-payment of property taxes. The backlog goes back many years. In order for the Town to complete the repossession and resale of the properties through public auction – and ultimately get them back on the tax rolls generating revenue for the Town – a strict legal process needs to occur. Warden explained that can’t happen without additional staff hours and expense.
To a question regarding a 50% increase to Building Inspector and Code Enforcer Salaries to $60,000, Warden noted it is in response to the ongoing concerns she fields from residents regarding the number of blighted and decrepit properties throughout town. The current Building Inspector is part-time and shared among six other municipalities, thus unable to enforce existing code violations. Again, clean-up can’t happen, said Warden, without additional staff hours and expense.
Vocational Tuition increased by $160,000 or 66.7%, due to student choice and the increased appeal of vocational training. (The amount represents 20 students at $20,000 per student.) There is no known offset to vocational vs. Wahconah High School, but as a participant in the Central Berkshire Regional School District, the Town has an obligation to pay the assessment, Warden noted.
A new line item of $30,000 for Special Projects was explained by Finance Committee Chair Dan Parnell and supported by Warden. That amount, he said, would allow Warden to bring on short-term experts with specific talents to address analyses that existing staff aren’t able to get to, such as retiree benefit costs, regionalization of services, capital projects planning and educational expenses.
At the end of the discussion, the budget was passed unanimously.
Next, the articles: All of the 37 articles passed without discussion except for four. “Article 14: To Place Esau’s Heel Trail Property Under the Authority of the Select Board” was designed to transfer responsibility of the property to town officials. While there was no disagreement about the transfer, Select Board members wanted to ensure that the Town would not be prohibited from using part of the nearly 102-acre parcel for a public safety facility at some point in the future. In addition, others wanted to ensure that motorized vehicles were prohibited from the trail. Participants voted to amend the language to include use for “general municipal purposes”. In addition, Administrator Warden noted that “No Motorized Vehicles” signage has already been ordered and would be placed at the property in the coming days.
“Article 16: Community Preservation Funding for Historical Purposes (Town Hall Cupola Restoration)” sought $22,600 in funds to complete the restoration and replacement of the Town Hall cupola. Although $28,613 was allocated in the FY 24 budget, engineering analysis revealed that the cupola required reinforcement to prevent wind shear, which would more than double the cost of the project. Unexpected high costs and questionable historic value led voters to reject the article.
“Article 18: Becket Zoning Bylaw – Short Term Rentals” at 4 legal pages yielded the longest discussion and greatest difference of opinion. Those against the bylaw cited it as unnecessary given existing state law regarding short-term rentals; the unreasonable expense and limits and requirements it placed on property owners; and the unnecessary bureaucracy and unfunded enforcement obligation it placed on the Town. Those seeming to favor the bylaw cited potential town liability if left unaddressed; the need for safety and security of residents and renters; and the need to protect against large corporations buying up housing stock for rentals and adding to the housing shortage. A motion to table was made, and in discussion with the Town’s legal counsel, Moderator Klepetar explained that meant no further discussion and no vote. For now, where it goes is up to Town officials and committee members.
“Articles 21 to 37: General/Town Bylaw Changes” was designed to update the Town’s bylaws to reflect modern language norms such as Chairman to Chair and he/she from he. Amended language was once again proposed, this time for Article 21, for changing gender-identifying pronouns to the non-binary pronouns they/them. After agreement was reached it was then determined that “person” may be the most modern and accepted usage. The committee agreed to work with a local volunteer and corporate lawyer to address that change in the future.
After running just over three hours, the meeting was adjourned at 5:15pm.
