Voters at special Town Meetings across the Hilltowns approved a range of measures late last month, including a temporary moratorium on battery energy storage systems in Chesterfield, a corrected fiscal 2027 tax levy in Williamsburg and several financial transfers in Cummington.
In Chesterfield, voters at June 24’s special Town Meeting approved a temporary moratorium on construction of battery energy storage systems, or BESS, through Sept. 30, 2026. The moratorium now awaits approval from the attorney general’s office.
The town wants more time to study where battery energy storage systems can be built and what rules should govern them. Officials say they need to consider issues such as public safety, fire protection, drinking water, impacts on farms and forests, and the town’s rural character.
During that review, the town would temporarily stop accepting applications for new battery storage projects so it can hold public forums and propose permanent zoning amendments regarding the siting, design, construction, operation and decommissioning of battery energy storage systems (BESS), the warrant reads.
In Williamsburg, voters at a June 25 special Town Meeting voted to fix an error made on the Town Meeting warrant involving the town’s tax levy.
At the annual Town Meeting, voters approved a fiscal 2027 tax levy of $8,274,807 that was later found to be miscalculated because it did not include some state aid and local receipts. At a special Town Meeting, voters approved a revised tax levy of $10,208,326 to account for roughly $2.1 million in additional revenue.
Specific line items in the budget remain unchanged and property taxes will not increase, Town Administrator Thomas Bernard said. A “human error” by various town officials led to the mistake, although Town Clerk Brenda Lessard identified the discrepancy during annual Town Meeting, Bernard said.
And Cummington voters unanimously approved all seven financial articles at a special Town Meeting on June 25.
Article 1 authorizes a $455 payment for the town’s broadband system from the broadband retained earnings account, while Article 2 transfers an unspecified amount from free cash to the stabilization account.
Article 3 transfers $461 to pay a 2020 Fleet Pride invoice, and Article 4, the largest expenditure, allocates $88,493 toward the principal on the town’s fiscal year 2026 broadband debt.
Article 5 appropriates $6,000, including $5,000 to restore the town’s ballfield and $1,000 for an electrical rewiring project. Article 6 allocates $9,202 from free cash to the FEMA Grant Account. Finally, Article 7 transfers $431 from free cash to the Opioid Settlement Fund.
Independence, ice cream in Goshen
GOSHEN — Public readings of the Declaration of Independence date to 1776, when the document was first shared in Philadelphia. Goshen will continue the tradition as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.
Community members will gather at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at John James Memorial Town Hall, 42 Main St. Organizers encourage residents, especially children, to read a section of the Declaration. Ice cream will be served afterward.
For more information or to sign up, contact Keith Wright at 413-336-7142.
Job openings in Burgy
WILLIAMSBURG — The town is searching to fill two part-time positions, one for an assistant treasurer and another as an administrative assistant. Both positions are expected to require about 18 hours of work per week.
The assistant treasurer position has been vacant for some time, while the administrative assistant post became vacant after Elizabeth Van Iderstine left at the end of May. The latter position has yet to be posted publicly, but will be soon, Town Administrator Thomas Bernard said.
The assistant treasurer position requires finance, accounting or relevant municipal experience, as well as customer service skills and a high level of confidentiality, according to the job description. The position pays about $26 an hour.