By Kathy Dickinson
The September 19 STM convened at Becket Washington School was attended by over 100 registered voters and seventeen other participants, including second-home owners.
Of eight articles on the STM agenda, proposals to regulate short-term rentals and solar array developments were the most debated among a number of timely and consequential bylaws carefully considered over three hours.
The first four articles all passed unanimously: Article 1 provided $1,189.93 for unpaid invoices; Article 2 allowed for the transfer of $165,500 from the OPEB (Other Post Employee Benefits) account to the OPEB Trust account; Article 3 amended the vote at the 2026 Annual Town Meeting to allow the transfer of $320,000 from the Ambulance Stabilization Fund to offset the amount to be borrowed for ambulance funding; and Article 4 revised wording in Article 20 of the Bylaw Review Committee to state that the committee “shall hold one or more public hearings which shall be publicly posted,” eliminating the requirement to publish the information in a newspaper of general circulation for two weeks.
Article 5 addressed language adopted during the annual town meeting in May, 2025, by modifying the Becket Outdoor Lighting Bylaw (also known as “Becket Dark Skies”) to comply with language required by the state attorney general. As noted by Chuck Garman, Chair of the Bylaw Review Committee, the change from “if any neighbors are inconvenienced” to “if any person is inconvenienced” is consistent with the wording in other town bylaws and was supported by 84% of voters.
Garman introduced Article 6, a bylaw seeking to regulate Short-Term Rentals (STRs). While many other Berkshire towns have already regulated STRs, there is no local law protecting the Town of Becket from commercial investors who may buy up housing stock to convert to short-term rentals, ultimately limiting housing for local residents. The proposal included registration, licensing, and operating requirements — as well as limits on occupancy and the total number of STRs allowable per property owner. While some in attendance objected to new regulation, several residents voiced support for the proposal, sharing stories of negative experiences with neighboring STRs — referencing problems with noise, parking and safety risks. Some discussion revolved around the fees to be levied, which will be determined by the Select Board. Ultimately, the proposal passed by a majority.
With regard to Article 7: Solar Bylaw and Article 8: the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Bylaw, since 2020, the state of Massachusetts has encouraged development of solar energy paired with energy storage to balance the ever-expanding need for clean energy. No municipalities can prohibit solar or battery storage development, so these bylaws were drafted to protect Becket properties and natural resources, and to propose reasonable safeguards going forward. According to Al Blake, Vice Chair of the Planning Board (PB), Articles 7 and 8 “were developed and finalized after many months of meetings by members of an ad hoc committee together with members of the PB, with input from consultants, engineers, and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.” After months of exhaustive committee work, these two articles garnered the most discussion over two hours.
Blake, Chair of the PB during an earlier period in which several applications were submitted seeking to develop solar installations on parcels of land in Becket, introduced Article 7, which sought to replace outdated solar bylaws previously adopted in 2019. Blake explained that since then “the state Department of Energy Resources (DOER) has mandated that new or revised versions be completed by October 1, 2026.” He stressed that the goal was to “adhere to the state guidelines, while covering all aspects of protecting the interests of our town within that time frame.” Garth Klimchuk, Chair of the Energy Committee and a renewable energy professional, had been consulted in the drafting of the bylaws, but during the STM expressed concern that the bylaws as proposed were too restrictive and reflected a virtual moratorium on solar development. Planning Board members Natasha Loeffler, Art Feltman, and current PB chair John Verity countered that our rural town needed protections from aggressive development such as seen in the more urban region around Boston. Extensive discussion resulted in amended specifications. The article passed by a two-thirds majority.
Article 8 focused on the BESS portion of these projects. It was discovered that symbols in one of the tables needed to be corrected and discrepancies in the numbering system remedied. After a motion carried to allow the corrections to be made by the Town Clerk, the BESS bylaw passed, also by a two-thirds majority.
