BUCKLAND — Voters will be asked to weigh in on four articles covering unexpected vocational school tuition, unpaid bills and rescinding a previous vote allowing the town to take on debt for Avery Road repairs during a Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The meeting will commence at 6:30 p.m. at Buckland Town Hall on State Street.
Article 1 addresses an unexpected tuition bill the town received for a student attending Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School. Town Administrator Pam Guyette said the town was not notified that it had a student attending the Northampton school for the 2025-2026 school year when officials were finalizing the budget last spring, as the student’s address has a Shelburne Falls ZIP code.
Voters will also be asked to pay any unpaid bills from fiscal year 2025 and to pay for additional costs arising from the installation of solar at the Wastewater Treatment Facility. Guyette said the town is seeking a federal tax credit for the solar project, but in the meantime, it needs to pay for the expense.
“Because we’re a town and we don’t file a federal tax return, it’s a bit of a challenge,” Guyette said. “We are working with an accountant who says he can help us with this process, but in the meantime, we have a deficit that does hit our free cash.”
The warrant does not include the finalized amounts needed for these two expenses, outlined in Articles 2 and 3, nor which accounts the funds will come from, but town officials plan to have that information ready for voters at Special Town Meeting.
Lastly, Article 4 asks voters to rescind a vote taken in October 2024 to borrow up to $150,000 to fund emergency repairs on Avery Road, which had been damaged in a heavy rainstorm. However, the town was able to repair it without taking on debt.
The full warrant can be found at town.buckland.ma.us.
